Eric Cantor loses primary, wanted strings attached for Joplin Tornado recovery funding

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has been defeated in the Republican primary by Tea Party challenger David Brat.

Joplin will remember Cantor for his insistence, just one day after the May 22, 2011, that claimed 161 lives, that there should be no tornado relief funding for Joplin unless it was accompanied by an equal amount of spending cuts.

This is what I wrote on May 23, 2011:

If House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has his way, the city of Joplin will receive no disaster relief unless it is offset by spending cuts.

With 116 people dead and the toll expected to rise, Cantor's strict adherence to GOP dogma seems highly inappropriate.

Of course, the toll does not include anyone in the Virginia Republican's district:


The No. 2 House Republican said that if Congress doles out additional money to assist in the aftermath of natural disastersacross the country, the spending may need to be offset.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said "if there is support for a supplemental, it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplemental."

Finding ways to offset disaster relief funds could be a significant challenge for House Republicans and would put their promise to cut spending to a true test. Roughly 100 people have died in Joplin, Mo., in the last few days after a tornado cut through the town.