Another disgrace for Boehner's resume ~ ~ Sooz

Wednesday, Jan 2, 2013 06:53 AM CST
House GOP scraps Sandy relief bill
Republicans abandoned a vote this session, infuriating NY lawmakers in both parties
By Larry Margasak, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York area-lawmakers in both parties erupted in anger late Tuesday night after learning the House Republican leadership decided to allow the current term of Congress to end without holding a vote on aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he was told by the office of Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio had decided to abandon a vote this session.

Cantor, who sets the House schedule, did not immediately comment. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters that just before Tuesday evening’s vote on “fiscal cliff” legislation, Cantor told him that he was “99.9 percent confident that this bill would be on the floor, and that’s what he wanted.”

A spokesman for Boehner, Michael Steel said, “The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month.”

In remarks on the House floor, King called the decision “absolutely inexcusable, absolutely indefensible. We cannot just walk away from our responsibilities.”

The Senate approved a $60.4 billion measure Friday to help with recovery from the October storm that devastated parts of New York, New Jersey and nearby states. The House Appropriations Committee has drafted a smaller, $27 billion measure, and a vote had been expected before Congress’ term ends Thursday at noon.

More than $2 billion in federal funds has been spent so far on relief efforts for 11 states and the District of Columbia struck by the storm, one of the worst ever to hit the Northeast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund still has about $4.3 billion, enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring, according to officials. The unspent FEMA money can only be used for emergency services, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are receiving federal aid.

Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges. The storm damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected.

“This is an absolute disgrace and the speaker should hang his head in shame,” said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

“I’m here tonight saying to myself for the first time that I’m not proud of the decision my team has made,” said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. “It is the wrong decision, and I’ m going to be respectful and ask that the speaker reconsider his decision. Because it’s not about politics, it’s about human lives.”

“I truly feel betrayed this evening,” said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.

“We need to be there for all those in need now after Hurricane Sandy,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.

The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said she didn’t know whether a decision has been made and added, “We cannot leave here doing nothing. That would be a disgrace.”

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/house_gop_scraps_sandy_relief_bill/

I have never seen much heart come out of Boehner, in spite of the many tears he's shed.

While I'm not a fan of Peter King, he's a powerful enemy ~ I'm beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Boehner WANTS to lose the gavel ~ Sooz

Peter King near tears, threatens to quit Republican Party for blocking Sandy relief
By David Edwards
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 11:31 EST

Republican New York Congressman Peter King was near tears on Monday as he threatened to leave the Republican Party, while excoriating the leadership and other members after they reversed course and refused to pass a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

In an emotional interview with CNN, King pointed a finger directly at House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) for the failure to bring Sandy aid up for a vote after passing a bill to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.

“Boehner is the one,” the New York Republican explained. “He walked off the floor. He refused to tell us why. He refused to give us any indication or warning whatsoever… I’m just saying, these people have no problem finding New York — these Republicans — when they’re trying to raise money. They raise millions of dollars in New York City and New Jersey, they sent Gov. [Chris] Christie around the country raising millions of dollars for them. I’m saying, anyone from New York and New Jersey who contributes one penny to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee should have their head examined. I would not give one penny to these people based on what they did to us last night.”

CNN host Victor Blackwell wondered if King’s disgust over scuttling the hurricane relief was enough to make him leave the Republican Party.

“I’m going to do what I have to do,” King insisted. “I’m going to be independent minded. Sometimes, as John Kennedy said, party loyalty demands too much. And I would — as all of us do — often, you give the benefit of the doubt to your party. We are a two-party system. But I’m over that because as the very least, you’re expected to be treated fairly… When your people are literally freezing in the winter and they're without food and they're without shelter and they’re without clothing and my own party refuses to help them, then why should I help the Republican Party?”

King recalled that Boehner refused to even speak to the Republican lawmakers from hurricane-stricken areas, at one point yelling, “I’m not going to meet with you people!”

“I was chasing the Speaker all over the House floor last night,” he said. “So he wouldn’t tell us why, he just decided to sneak off in the dark of night.”

“I would say that the Republican Party says that it’s the party of family values,” King continued. “Last night, it decided to turn its back on the most essential value of all. And that’s to provide food, shelter, clothing and relief for people who have been hit by a natural disaster. And I would say that the Republican Party has turned its back on those people. And it’s going to be very hard for me to ask any of those people to vote for the national Republican Party.”

“We were told everything was on board, everything was ready, we had all the papers ready to go, we had lined up the votes, we had the committed votes where this bill would have passed on the House floor with no problem at all, we had gone around and spoken to people, we had done everything we were asked to do. And, again, the knife in the back. And that’s all it is.”

Watch video from CNN’s Newsroom, broadcast Jan. 2, 2013. [Sooz comment: video clip accessible via the end link]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/02/peter-king-near-tears-threatens-to-quit-republican-party-for-blocking-sandy-relief/

Here's more ~ I'm very pleased that King is not letting up ~ and he is being joined by many GOP/TPers ~ a message is always more powerful when it's from "your own" vs from the opposition ~ Chaos, check the first "update" below for Christie's joint statement with Cuomo ~ emphasis/bolding below is in original ~ Sooz

GOP Rep. Says Boehner ‘Put A Knife In The Back Of New Yorkers’ By Blocking Vote On Sandy Relief
By Josh Israel on Jan 2, 2013 at 10:20 am

A furious Rep. Peter King (R-NY) took aim at his own party in a Fox News interview Wednesday, a day after House GOP leaders broke their promise to hold a vote on a Hurricane Sandy relief bill. King said the decision by the House Republican leadership to scrap a planned vote on a multi- billion aid package amounted to a “knife in the back” of those hit hardest by the bill. The Senate had approved a $60.4 billion aid bill last Friday, but the House move appeared to scuttle any chance of a bill before the new Congress begins Thursday.

King said that after the move, he feels no obligation to vote with his leadership and suggested that East Coast residents who contribute to the GOP are insane. King complained that Speaker John Boehner reneged on his promise to hold a vote on the package, without explanation:

In his explanation of the events of Tuesday night, he noted that Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) offered no explanation for the broken promise:


Watch the interview:



King noted that while national Republicans were all-too-happy to put Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) out as a surrogate during the 2012 campaign, with this move they “knifed him in the back.”

In a separate interview on CNN, he added that Boehner refused to meet with him and yelled at Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), “I’m not going to meet with you people.”

A fellow New York Republican, Rep. Michael Grimm, echoed King’s remarks, calling the leadership’s move a “personal betrayal,” and noting that “the people of this country that have been devastated are looking at this as a betrayal by the Congress and by the nation, and that is just untenable and unforgivable.”

Update: In a joint statement, Christie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) blasted the “dereliction of duty” by the House Republican leadership, writing “inaction and indifference by the House of Representatives is inexcusable. When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night.” In a his own statement, President Barack Obama urged Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) to “bring this important request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow Americans.”

Update: After King repeated his criticism of the GOP leadership in a House floor speech, a Boehner spokesman told Politico that the Speaker will meet with Republican Republican members of the New York and New Jersey delegations on Wednesday afternoon and that “the Speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month.”

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/02/1384541/peter-king-gop-knife-in-back/

fucking arsehat.

Major Boner.

Pardon if this is a repeat, but I don't have time to read all of this right now:


House Speaker John Boehner couldn’t hold back when he spotted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the White House lobby last Friday. It was only a few days before the nation would go over the fiscal cliff, no bipartisan agreement was in sight, and Reid had just publicly accused Boehner of running a "dictatorship" in the House and caring more about holding onto his gavel than striking a deal.
"Go f— yourself," Boehner sniped as he pointed his finger at Reid, according to multiple sources present.
Reid, a bit startled, replied: "What are you talking about?"
Boehner repeated: "Go f— yourself."
The harsh exchange just a few steps from the Oval Office — which Boehner later bragged about to fellow Republicans — was only one episode in nearly two months of high-stakes negotiations laced with distrust, miscommunication, false starts and yelling matches as Washington struggled to ward off $500 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... y_got.html

Christie: House Inaction On Sandy Aid ‘Inexcusable’

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/0 ... n-of-duty/

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, the Republican governor said the only group to blame for decision is the House’s GOP majority and Speaker John Boehner.

I just watched Christie's speech. To put it mildly, he's pissed. It'll take a bit to make him kiss and make-up.

On "Good Morning Joe" this morning King had toned down his remarks about Boehner but didn't say he was sorry he said what he did.

Peter King and others are softening their remarks because they succeeded in exposing the sociopathic mindset and getting the momentum moving forward ~ I'm 100% anti on adding "extras" [pork] to any bill ~ but Issa and his TP brethren bellowing about this massive bill being "packed with pork" amounting to $152million is evidence of just how fast the GOP/TP is tap-dancing ~ another thing to keep in mind is that it took prominent/influential GOPers screaming publicly to make Boehner et al take notice ~ "selective hearing" at its most obvious ~ Sooz

Republican leaders’ pledge Sandy relief funds after day of stinging criticism
By Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 18:36 EST

The embattled Republican leadership in the House of Representatives promised to settle the issue of Sandy relief funds within the next two weeks, after a day of excoriating criticism from senior GOP figures.

A vote on a $9bn proposal towards Hurricane Sandy flood insurance will be held on Friday, while the remaining $51bn of the relief package will be considered on January 15.

The pledge follows a series of high-profile attacks by Republicans on their own party. New Jersey governor Chris Christie accused the Republican House leadership of showing “callous indifference” towards the plight of Sandy victims and singled out Boehner for special treatment in a lengthy, angry press conference.

It was almost midnight on Tuesday when the Republican leadership in Congress revealed the Sandy bill, which proposed $60bn in aid to New Jersey and New York, would not be voted on during that session. The leadership had previously indicated the package would be dealt with swiftly as money for victims is due to run out on 7 January, adding to the anger of politicians.

The collective ire of Christie, Peter King and Michael Grimm, combined with that of a host of Democrats in the House and Senate, appears to have prompted action from Boehner and the Republican leadership.

King told reporters that Boehner had promised that the House will vote on 15 January on a $51bn package. Together with the $9bn vote on Friday, the package appears to be similar, at least in gross expenditure, to the $60bn deal Boehner decided not to tackle on Tuesday.

Christie’s criticism was among the strongest on Wednesday. “There is only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: the House majority and their speaker, John Boehner,” he said at the news conference.

“This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. Natural disasters happen in red states and blue states, and states with Democratic governors and Republican governors. We respond to innocent victims of natural disasters not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans.

“Or at least we did until last night. Last night, politics was placed before oaths to serve our citizens. For me, it was disappointing and disgusting to watch.”

The Senate had already voted in favour of the legislation before it was announced late on Tuesday that the bill would not be put to a vote. The package Boehner has promised to introduce on 15 January will now have to be resubmitted in the new Congress and clear a number of procedural hurdles for a second time, delaying its implementation.

The outrage over the lack of action on the bill was a moment of rare bipartisanship in a divided Congress, as members from both parties lined up to criticise the House leadership.

King effectively went to war with his own party over the inaction. On the House floor on Tuesday night, he said the decision of Republican leaders was “absolutely inexcusable” and “absolutely indefensible”. He added: “We cannot just walk away from our responsibilities.”

King indicated that he was not ruling out switching parties over the issue and told Fox News: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m on my own.”

On Wednesday, King said that New Yorkers should refuse to donate to Republicans in retaliation. “They’re in New York all the time, filling their pockets with money from New Yorkers,” King said of his party colleagues, on CNN.

“I’m saying: right now, anyone from New York or New Jersey who contributes one penny to congressional Republicans is out of their minds. Because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans. It was an absolute disgrace.”

After being soothed by Boehner on Wednesday, King said that his fierce critcism of the party leadership was “a lifetime ago”. He said that “as long as there are 218 votes on January 15″ the furore would be behind them.

Democrats were left outraged on Wednesday. “I am stunned. Stunned,” Congressman Rob Andrews, a New Jersey Democrat, told Politico. “I assume there is as tactical consideration here; that the Republican leadership didn’t want to be anywhere near a big spending bill after the fiasco of their handling the tax debate. I understand the tactics, but there is a real human need here that is being ignored.”

New York senator Chuck Shumer told House speaker John Boehner in a tweet that his decision not to allow a vote on the Sandy bill is a “disgrace, [and] leaves NY residents without crucial aid to recover and rebuild”.

Some Republicans defended themselves against the criticism, arguing that the bill had been filled with “pork” that had little to do with Sandy relief. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House oversight and government reform committee, told Fox and Friends: “Your two senators packed this with pork,” referring to Schumer and fellow New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

“They had the opportunity to have a $27-$30bn dollar legit relief package, packed it with pork, then dared us not to vote on it.”

Issa said the issue was “unrelated pork” which would not help those affected by the storm. Politico noted that the bill included $150m for fisheries in Alaska and $2m for a new roof for the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/02/republican-leaders-pledge-sandy-relief-funds-after-day-of-stinging-criticism/

Scrap the elephant and donkey and replace them with red pigs and blue pigs.

I'll have to see the "pork" in the bills to judge but if indeed anyone, Dem or Rep, lines the relief bill with pork then shame on them.

I'll have to see the "pork" in the bills to judge but if indeed anyone, Dem or Rep, lines the relief bill with pork then shame on them.

That applies to pretty much every bill ever passed in the US Congress and now in Canada's Parliament since the CONservative majority.