Northwest Iowa — 4th District Iowa Congressman Steve King is under fire again, this time over comments he made at a town hall meeting Thursday in Charter Oak.
The Democrat governor of Louisiana and a Republican congressional leader are both criticizing King for his remarks about hurricane victims in their state. During Thursday’s town hall meeting King compared victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to Iowans dealing with floodwaters now.
Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, the second-ranking Republican in the House, represents the New Orleans suburbs. Scalise called King’s remarks “absurd and offensive and…a complete contradiction” to how the people of New Orleans responded to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, tweeted that King’s comments were “disgusting and disappointing.” King tweeted yesterday that he’s “working to restore free speech to the halls of congress.” During his remarks in Charter Oak Thursday, King said in 2005 he made four visits to New Orleans to tour the devastation.
King toured flood damage in Missouri Valley and Hornick Thursday, promising to work closely with local leaders to help Iowans recover from this disaster. King said as the only Republican in Iowa’s congressional delegation, he won’t hesitate to use his influence with President Trump to help Iowans gain access to federal flood relief.
