Inhofe: Tornado Relief 'Totally Different' From Sandy Aid

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said federal aid for Oklahoma tornado victims is "totally different" from the Hurricane Sandy bill he voted against.

When the vicious hurricane slammed the East Coast in October 2012, "everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place," Inhofe said on MSNBC. "That won't happen in Oklahoma."

Inhofe at the time called the Sandy relief bill a "slush fund."

Inhofe said Tuesday that the Sandy Relief bill "was supposed to be in New Jersey. They had things in the Virgin Islands, fixing roads there, and putting roofs on houses in Washington, D.C."

A spokesman for Oklahoma's other senator, Tom Coburn, said the Republican wants tornado relief funds to be offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget. That position is consistent with previous aid requests, including those in his home state.

Coburn also voted against Sandy relief as did two of the state's five Republican congressmen, The Washington Post notes.

Damage from Sandy, a giant hurricane, spread from the Carribean to the Great Lakes, and damage was estimated at $50 billion.