U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie may have blocked a bipartisan $19 billion bill to help millions of Americans hit by natural disasters, but he doesn't mind asking for help when his Kentucky congressional district faces Mother Nature.

The libertarian-leaning Republican congressman has a record of voting against emergency disaster funding measures for other states, such as Superstorm Sandy, which ripped up the east coast, in 2013, and Hurricane Harvey, the costliest tropical storm on record, in 2017.

But a Courier Journal review of the Kentucky federal delegation's messages to the White House show, since taking office in 2012, Massie has made multiple pleas for money when the state and his congressional district are impacted.

Previously:Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie blocks $19B disaster relief bill

Four times since 2015, Massie has signed letters to the U.S. president with requests that have raked in roughly $56 million for the Bluegrass.

In a statement to the Courier Journal on Thursday, the congressman defended his votes against disaster aid while requesting funding for Kentucky.

"While it’s true that I’ve consistently voted against bloated spending bills and unbalanced budgets, it’s also true that once these bills pass, it’s my constituents who must bear the burden of the taxes and debts incurred by these bills," Massie said. "Therefore, it is with a clear conscience that I advocate for our congressional district’s fair share, if those bills ultimately pass."

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In an April 5 letter to President Donald Trump, Massie joined Kentucky's two senators and five other representatives in asking for relief after a series of storms struck the state.

"We ask for your timely consideration," the letter said. The funding was approved on April 17, according to reports.

Massie, however, scolded Democrats on Tuesday for putting the $19 billion measure — aimed at helping multiple states and territories, including Puerto Rico — on the fast track. He said Congress shouldn't approve spending bills when members aren't present, and he used a procedural move that blocked the bill from passing by unanimous consent.

"The point I made this week, by showing up for work when 99% of Congress did not, is that it’s irresponsible to spend $19 billion without actually taking a vote," Massie said.

Massie's maneuver was condemned by Democrats and Republicans, who represented some of the states in need. Those lawmakers said his objection was an example of political posturing.

Fiscal conservatives, however, gave him kudos for standing up for the taxpayer against the common practice of Congress spending money without taking actual votes.

"Does anyone care about the Feds spending money we don’t have anymore," Matt Kibbe, a nationally known libertarian activist, said in a tweet praising Massie. "By my count there’s only a handful of legislators left speaking up for fiscal sanity."

Club for Growth, a conservative-leaning group, added in a tweet that if Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "wants to pass a multi-billion dollar spending bill, her minions are actually going to have to show up to vote."

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Massie is often among a handful of House members who consistently object to emergency disaster help for other areas.

In January 2013, he raised concerns about doling out $9.7 billion to rebuild and repair residential areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy. He said the measure, "recklessly increases the national debt."

More than four years later, in September 2017, he voted against spending $7.8 billion to help Texas residents recovering from Hurricane Harvey. He again cited the national debt as a reason to oppose the measure.

But Massie made no such objections when he signed a July 2015 letter to President Barack Obama that said Kentucky counties hit by storms, "are confronting a number of significant economic challenges, and the need among many of these citizens is great."

In March 2018, after torrential rain caused flooding, landslides and mudslides that severely affected 22 Kentucky counties, he joined pleas for Trump to help.

Massie did the same again a month later after another series of storms hit 35 counties, "causing extensive damage exceeding the ability of the state government and localities to effectively respond," according to an April 2018 letter to the president.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.