MOORE, Okla. â€" President Obama will arrive in Tornado Alley on Sunday to once again perform the grim task of reassuring residents of a devastated community that their government stands by them in their moment of grief.
A president who is often locked in a struggle with his Republican rivals over their disdain for expansive federal agencies, Mr. Obama has repeatedly found himself pledging the full power of the government to confront natural disasters. On Tuesday, the president will return to the New Jersey coast to witness the rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy.
In Oklahoma, Mr. Obama will walk through the rubble of what once was a thriving suburb south of Oklahoma City. He will deliver emotional and financial support to residents who have lost homes and families who have lost people they love.
As he has in other places â€" Joplin, the Jersey Shore, West Texas, Colorado Springs, Tuscaloosa and the Gulf Coast â€" Mr. Obama will again become the consoler-in-chief, with the television cameras rolling.
But he will also bring, as he often does, money and resources. More than 400 federal personnel remain in Oklahoma almost a week after the tornado ripped through Moore. Officials said that about 2,200 people in Oklahoma had registered for relief aid made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
For Mr. Obama, natural disasters like the one in Moore provide a tangible example of his political philosophy â€" how a robust investment in government can provide needed returns for its citizens in times of need. The grim aftermath of such crises test the philosophy of the president’s political opponents.
Mary Fallin, the Republican governor of Oklahoma, has repeatedly said that the federal government is bloated and inefficient and needs to be reduced in size and ambition. In her State of the State address in 2012, Ms. Fallin disparaged the federal government. making no exception for agencies like FEMA.
“Our success stands in stark contrast to the record of dysfunction, failed policies, and outrageous spending that occurs in Washington, D.C.†she told lawmakers. “In Oklahoma, we could teach Washington a lesson or two about fiscal policy and the size and proper role of government.â€
But faced with financial and logistical damages that are beyond the resources of her state, Ms. Fallin has acknowledged the need for federal assistance. In an interview with Glenn Beck on his Internet show, the governor explained the need to work with the federal emergency agencies.
“FEMA was very good to respond, and the president did call yesterday and they did give us notice last night that our federal emergency disaster declaration was approved,†she said, adding that the declaration “will help us get the resources that we need and the federal financial support that we need to help these communities.â€
In recent days, Republicans in Congress have seized on a series of incidents involving the Justice Department, the Internal Revenue Service and the State Department, in part to argue that Mr. Obama presides over an overbearing government that has grown too big to control.
Other fights are looming in Washington over the deficit, the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, and the cost of the president’s proposals for increased preschool spending, a higher minimum wage and a new commitment to infrastructure projects.
Those arguments will continue to rage over the next several weeks as the two parties bicker over the proper size and role of government. The president and the Republicans in Congress may yet battle over the cost of providing long-term assistance to disaster victims.
But meanwhile, in places like Oklahoma, the immediate differences have narrowed. Faced with the awesome destructive power that nature can wield, both parties seem more than willing to embrace the need for a well-funded government that can respond quickly.
As the two leaders tour the remains of schools, hospitals and homes on Sunday, both will agree on that.
