Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) came under a deluge of criticism on Saturday after pleading with President Joe Biden for federal aid after his home state was devastated by a series of tornadoes late Friday night and into Saturday morning.
Joining the chorus of critics was California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D).
Saturday the conservative Kentucky lawmaker posted a series of tweets showing he has asked for federal aid which led critics to point out his history of denying Americans in other states of the same consideration.
That led Swalwell to extend his sympathy to Kentuckians for their plight while also taking a slap at Paul and retweeting clips of him railing at using taxpayer dollars to help disaster victims.
According to the California Democrat: "We should do all we can to help our Kentucky neighbors. God be with them — they are hurting. But do not for one second forget that @RandPaul has voted against helping most Americans most times they’re in need."
You can see one of Paul's Tweets below along with a sampling of the criticism he is receiving.
This afternoon I joined a call w/ FEMA Director Criswell to help coordinate relief for the Commonwealth. FEMA has committed supplies & resources to assist in the ongoing efforts to save lives. I look forward to Director Criswell\u2019s visit & will continue to aid fellow Kentuckians.— Senator Rand Paul (@Senator Rand Paul) 1639270683
We should do all we can to help our Kentucky neighbors. God be with them \u2014 they are hurting. But do not for one second forget that @RandPaul has voted against helping most Americans most times they\u2019re in need.https://twitter.com/randpaul/status/1469651645814480899\u00a0\u2026— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@Rep. Eric Swalwell) 1639268444
\u201cGimme, gimme, gimme\u201dpic.twitter.com/UIPEtBcG84— Acyn (@Acyn) 1639256276
Rand Paul: People here will say they have great compassion and they want to help the people of Puerto Rico, the people of Texas, and the people of Florida but notice they have great compassion with someone else\u2019s moneypic.twitter.com/X8KQHaRxQd— Acyn (@Acyn) 1639271920
Rand Paul should sit down and shut up on this one. He infamously mocked New Yorkers for asking for relief after Hurricane Sandy. \n\nIf I\u2019m Biden, I would respond back with a letter telling him the aid is coming despite his request. Not because of it.https://twitter.com/chadpergram/status/1469662426060701706\u00a0\u2026— Bradley P. Moss (@Bradley P. Moss) 1639232207
After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Rand Paul literally shut the government down when Congress tried to pass a disaster relief bill. But when Kentucky faces disaster it\u2019s \u201cmove expeditiously.\u201d https://twitter.com/chadpergram/status/1469662428942241799\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/pkCgt4iIzx— Jacob Rubashkin (@Jacob Rubashkin) 1639230941
Rand Paul has become a socialist.pic.twitter.com/4DoU6WQmqJ— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1639256780
Rand Paul\nruns to Biden \nfor federal assistance \nfaster than Ayn Rand \nran to her mailbox \nfor Social Security checks.— John Fugelsang (@John Fugelsang) 1639266000
So after voting his entire career against federal aid for other states that were in trouble, @RandPaul now begs @POTUS for relief for Kentucky. What a loathsome piece of garbage. Not because the people of Kentucky need help, but because Randy is nothing but a grandstanding fop.— ken olin (@ken olin) 1639283597
The GOP Senator previously voted against disaster relief for Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Sandy.https://www.newsweek.com/rand-paul-opposition-previous-disaster-relief-resurfaces-he-seeks-aid-kentucky-1658537?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1639272236\u00a0\u2026— Newsweek (@Newsweek) 1639273197
Of course FEMA should rush aid to Kentucky. But Rand Paul should take a seat and keep quiet. And Kentuckians might want to have a think about who they choose to represent them.pic.twitter.com/Ks72M704hO— Helen Kennedy (@Helen Kennedy) 1639233627
We know @RandPaul is a heartless hypocrite. The people in Kentucky deserve the relief regardless of their buffoonish leadership, but if the Dems don\u2019t use this against him and his party in the future, it is a missed opportunity.https://twitter.com/rawstory/status/1469772134759161860\u00a0\u2026— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1639256838
Lost in @RandPaul's hypocrisy over asking for the "socialist" disaster aid he previously voted against for other states, is the fact that a DECEMBER TORNADO tore through the state of a senator who denies climate change & has voted against every attempt to address it.— Fr. Robert R. Ballecer, SJ (@Fr. Robert R. Ballecer, SJ) 1639282521
