House Tells Sandy Victims to Go Fuck Themselves

[Flagg]

NBCNews

Bipartisan outrage after House skips vote on $60 billion Sandy aid bill

By NBC News staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives adjourned on Tuesday night without acting on a $60 billion superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill, prompting angry denunciations from members from the states hardest hit by the storm.

The GOP leadership was criticized for what one Republican called a "personal betrayal" after it was decided that the bill would not be considered until the 113th Congress, which convenes at noon on Thursday.

The current session of the House comes to an end officially on Wednesday after the new Congress elected in November gets sworn in. Legislation does not carry over from session to session, so consideration of an aid bill would have to start all over if, as expected, nothing is scheduled before then.

"I have just been informed that we will be having perhaps no further votes in this Congress," said Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "I am deeply disappointed at that information. We have millions of our fellow citizens who have been badly damaged by a storm called Sandy."

"We help each other," Representative Rush Holt, a Democrat of New Jersey, said on the House floor. "We always have ... There are thousands of people who are not going back to their homes. They deserve our help."

They and others pleaded with the Republican leaders of the House to rethink the decision, but few were in the chamber to listen. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia are in charge of scheduling the House.

"For the Speaker to just walk out is inexcusable," Representative Peter King, a New York Republican, told reporters. "It's wrong and I'm saying that as a member of the Republican Party."

'Unforgivable'
In a statement, a spokesman for Boehner said: "The Speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month." That assurance was not enough for the members who have districts that were affected by Sandy.

"I feel it is a personal betrayal," said Representative Michael Grimm, a New York Republican. "But I think more importantly, when you parse out all the politics, 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."

A bipartisan group of eight lawmakers gathered after protesting the move on the House floor after the House voted late Tuesday night to pass a bill to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff." That bill passed 257-167.

The October 29 storm devastated New York and New Jersey coastlines with lesser damage felt along coastal areas of Delaware and Maryland.

The Senate passed a bill on December 28 by a vote of 61-33 that would provide $60.2 billion in additional aid to victims of superstorm Sandy.

During that vote, 12 Republicans supported the measure, but only after a replacement amendment that would have stripped $35 billion from the bill failed to pass.

"It passed the Senate in a bipartisan way," said Representative Nita Lowey, a New York Democrat. "And again, to me this is a real betrayal, a betrayal of the leadership of the Republican Party."

The House had originally planned to consider a two-step bill that would start with $27 billion in supplemental aid, but also include an amendment worth an additional $33 billion. The bill had been split to allow conservative Republicans to vote for a base level of additional aid, but not the entire package, which many Republicans said did not entirely go to those affected by Sandy.

"If we get into the next Congress, you have to hit the reset button," said Representative Jon Runyan, a New Jersey Republican who added that the Sandy aid package has been largely drowned out in recent days by negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" tax hikes and spending cuts that were set to kick in starting on Tuesday.

Many Republicans in Congress say that the Sandy aid bill contains billions of dollars in spending on projects unrelated to damage caused by the storm or for long-term infrastructure improvements that should compete with other discretionary spending.

Among expenditures criticized was $150 million to rebuild fisheries, including those in the Gulf Coast and Alaska, thousands of miles from Sandy's devastation, and $2 million to repair roof damage that pre-dates the storm on Smithsonian Institution buildings in Washington.

Democrats, including New York and New Jersey senators, have argued that long-term rebuilding projects such as tunnel repairs would be delayed if the full funding was not approved. They say that businesses would not start to rebuild if they were not confident of reimbursement.

An aide for Cantor said that the House Majority Leader "is committed to ensuring the urgent needs of New York and New Jersey residents are met, and he has been working tirelessly toward that goal."

NBC News' Frank Thorp and Reuters contributed to this report.

Fucking pathetic.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

The bill had been split to allow conservative Republicans to vote for a base level of additional aid, but not the entire package, which many Republicans said did not entirely go to those affected by Sandy.

So if the plan isn't absolutely, stellarly, 100% effective, then the people who need it can just go fuck themselves? How about going on to abolish seatbelts, ban contraceptives and stop building safety inspections? None of these are 100% effective, after all! And imperfect DNA replication gives you cancer, so why don't just stop treating people for it? And also kill people to prevent their cells from replicating? It's imperfect!

[Grumman]

The bill had been split to allow conservative Republicans to vote for a base level of additional aid, but not the entire package, which many Republicans said did not entirely go to those affected by Sandy.

So if the plan isn't absolutely, stellarly, 100% effective, then the people who need it can just go fuck themselves?

If the claim I saw is accurate that of the $60 billion, $10 billion is pure pork, how is it a bad thing to only pass the part that isn't bloated with bribes?

[Zaune]

If the claim I saw is accurate that of the $60 billion, $10 billion is pure pork, how is it a bad thing to only pass the part that isn't bloated with bribes?

The longer they spend fine-tuning the bill, the longer the people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the hurricane will have to wait for assistance? There are times when it's better to do something, even if it's an imperfect solution, than to do nothing at all.

[Flagg]

So due to them not passing it this congress it will be awhile before the damned thing makes it to the floor in full. On Friday they will vote on a $9 billion plan with another vote for the remaining $51 billion on the 15th.

[Dalton]

Chris Christie is ready to break some skulls.

[Kuja]

He's not alone-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/0 ... d%3D251961

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) is going after his fellow House Republicans after party leaders pulled a Hurricane Sandy relief bill from a floor vote on Tuesday, saying that New York and New Jersey residents should stop giving these lawmakers political contributions.

"I'm saying right now, anyone from New York or New Jersey who contributes one penny to congressional Republicans is out of their minds," he said in an interview on Fox News. "Because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans. It was an absolute disgrace."

The House adjourned on Tuesday night without passing the $60.4 billion Sandy relief package that the Senate approved last week. The 113th Congress will be sworn in on Thursday, meaning that the House and Senate would have to restart the entire legislative process if it takes it up.

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) told CNN that money will be approved in the next Congress.

"FEMA has plenty of money, there's no immediate needs," he said, referring to the federal agency that distributes disaster relief.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said in early December that the agency had $4.8 billion to distribute and could fund Sandy programs through early spring -- a comment that House Republicans have pointed to as a reason not to rush the bill. But President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on House Republicans to bring the bill to a vote immediately.

"When tragedy strikes, Americans come together to support those in need," the president said in a statement. "I urge Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same, bring this important request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow Americans."

In a CNN interview Wednesday morning, King criticized Rogers for his comment.

"First, he doesn't know what he's talking about," said King on CNN. "Besides that, Hal Rogers has no problem coming to New York and raising money to put money in his pocket when he wants to raise it from New Yorkers. Secondly, the FEMA money was limited to $31,000 [for individuals]. That's not going to rebuild businesses."

"Hal Rogers can play his game. He can suck up to the Republican speaker if he wants to, but ... stay out of New York. Raise your money down in Kentucky," he added.

King also raised the possibility that he would vote against reelecting House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to his leadership post in the 113th Congress, saying, "My world turned upside-down last night, so I'm holding every vote in abeyance for now."

King has been one of the most vocal lawmakers criticizing House leadership for the move, although he is far from alone. Reps. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) have denounced the GOP leadership, while Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) apologized to his constituents on the House floor for the lack of passage, saying, "I did all I could." New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has announced he will hold a press conference at 2:00 p.m. about the issue.

Part of the reason that members seem so upset is that they felt like they were duped and given the run-around.

"I was chasing the Speaker all over the House floor last night, trying to talk to him and his staff," said King on CNN. "He kept telling me wait until the vote is over, wait until the fiscal cliff vote is over, everything will be taken care of. And then he was gone. He refused to meet with us. He actually yelled at Congressman [Frank] LoBiondo, saying, 'I'm not meeting with you people.'"

Amid the outrage, Boehner is scheduled to meet with members of the New York and New Jersey delegation at 3:00 p.m.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told The Huffington Post that the speaker is "committed to getting this bill passed this month."

[Flagg]

I just heard some Republican flak on Martin Bashir say that Boehner is going to resign. I hope it's not true, he's sane compared to backtabbing shits like Cuntor.

[Simon_Jester]

If the claim I saw is accurate that of the $60 billion, $10 billion is pure pork, how is it a bad thing to only pass the part that isn't bloated with bribes?

How are we defining "pure pork?" Is fixing the roof of the Smithsonian Museum "pure pork" when it would presumably have to get done eventually anyway?

There are two inconsistent definitions of "pork."

One is "useless things that don't need doing." Widening roads that have no traffic or safety problems, building tourist attractions that will never see enough visitors to justify their operating costs, things like that. That's wasteful.

The other is "things that don't matter to what I want done right now." Widening a road that's been unsafe and slow for traffic for twenty years may not be part of a bill to do X. But it isn't a waste of money and resources.

People keep conflating the two definitions when they denounce "pork." They look at all the (many) things that fall under the second definition, and talk about them as if they were among the (few) things that fall under the first definition.

[Grumman]

If the claim I saw is accurate that of the $60 billion, $10 billion is pure pork, how is it a bad thing to only pass the part that isn't bloated with bribes?

The longer they spend fine-tuning the bill, the longer the people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the hurricane will have to wait for assistance? There are times when it's better to do something, even if it's an imperfect solution, than to do nothing at all.

According to the Huffington Post "The Congressional Budget Office has estimated about $8.97 billion of the Senate bill would be spent in 2013, with another $12.66 billion spent in 2014 and $11.59 billion spent in 2015." So they're already going to be waiting years for most of this aid.

[Flagg]

If the claim I saw is accurate that of the $60 billion, $10 billion is pure pork, how is it a bad thing to only pass the part that isn't bloated with bribes?

The longer they spend fine-tuning the bill, the longer the people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the hurricane will have to wait for assistance? There are times when it's better to do something, even if it's an imperfect solution, than to do nothing at all.

According to the Huffington Post "The Congressional Budget Office has estimated about $8.97 billion of the Senate bill would be spent in 2013, with another $12.66 billion spent in 2014 and $11.59 billion spent in 2015." So they're already going to be waiting years for most of this aid.

Wow, you're totally ignorant of how disaster aid works, aren't you?

[Borgholio]

I watched this live on CNN. At least a dozen Representatives took to the floor to call the speaker an asshat. He just ignored them and closed the session. I was left thinking, "What?"

[Dr. Trainwreck]

If the claim I saw is accurate that of the $60 billion, $10 billion is pure pork, how is it a bad thing to only pass the part that isn't bloated with bribes?

Why do I suspect that even if the bill is cut once, the Republicans are so batshit they'd push for even more cuts to the plan?

[Phantasee]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/02/c ... ief-funds/

Christie: Boehner ignored multiple phone calls on Sandy relief funds
By Stephen C. Webster
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 14:51 EST


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Wednesday that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) ignored multiple calls on Tuesday, even as the governor was hoping to convey the urgency of a now-delayed vote on funding for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

“Last night, the House Majority failed most the basic test of leadership and they did so with callous disregard to the people of my state,” Christie said at a news conference on Wednesday. “It was disappointing and disgusting to watch.”

Although he avoided saying directly that Republicans in Congress were to blame for the House’s failure to vote on Sandy relief funds, Christie added: “Last night, my party was responsible.”

After four attempts to call Boehner and ask why the vote was being delayed, Christie said he heard nothing back until Wednesday morning. “I won’t get into my conversation with [Boehner],” he said. “But I will tell you, there is no reason to believe anything the tell me.”

“It has now been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy hit and 27 days since President Obama put forth a responsible aid proposal that passed with a bipartisan vote in the Senate while the House has failed to even bring it to the floor,” Christie added during the press conference. “This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented.”

“The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty,” he continued. “When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night.”

Christie isn’t the only east coast Republican left fuming by Tuesday night’s events in the House of Representatives. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) similarly castigated Boehner for canceling the vote without explanation, and even threatened to quit the Republican Party over the incident.

President Barack Obama also said Wednesday that he urges the House to vote on Hurricane Sandy relief funds immediately, but Boehner’s aides have said that won’t happen until after new members of Congress are sworn in later this month.

And from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/ ... 1Q20130102

King had earlier condemned Boehner's adjournment of the House before the Sandy vote, telling CNN it was a "knife in the back." Sandy, the second-costliest storm in U.S. history, devastated the northeastern United States on October 29, with New York and New Jersey hardest hit.

Christie, seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016, said the vote's cancellation reflected the "toxic internal politics" of Republicans in the House.

"There is only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent (storm) victims - the House majority and the speaker, John Boehner," Christie told a news conference in Trenton, New Jersey.

Christie tried to telephone Boehner four times after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told him at 11:20 p.m. the vote was canceled. The speaker declined to take his calls, the governor said.

[Flagg]

He ignores phone calls from Obama all the time, too. Worst Speaker Ever.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Wow, you're totally ignorant of how disaster aid works, aren't you?

Honest question: if this bill were passed today, how long would it take for the money to get to the constituents in need? What is the bureaucratic process behind this sort of thing?

[Broomstick]

Here's the really stupid thing - if there had been a vote on December 31, as apparently planned, it could have passed and been completed that night. However, a new Congress coming in more or less resets the legislation. It now has to be resubmitted and passed in both houses again... meaning it's not going to get done for at least a couple weeks. In other words, this bullshit has inserted a completely unnecessary several weeks delay in getting aid to people.

But was this really that unexpected? The Republican masses have been voting in a bunch of "slash spending on everything" characters who, as has been said, want to make government small enough to drown in a bathtub. They've put into office people who ran on platforms of eliminating government's role and whose attitude is basically if you aren't capable/wealthy enough to deal with devastation on your own you don't deserve help, thus, bail outs for Wall Street but not Breezy Point. This, to my mind, is a logical consequence of the direction the Republican party has been going for years. In other words, the (non-)response to Katrina is now business as usual and this is what the main body of the Republicans have put into power whether it was actually what they wanted or not.

[dragon]

Question.
Does Florida get a aid package when they get hit by Hurricanes stronger and more ofter than Sandy.
Did Texas get an aid package when they got hit by that big one a few years back that damaged some refineries.
If so then yes Sandy victims deserve aid.

[Broomstick]

Keeping in mind we're not talking about immediate emergency aid for rescue and immediate shelter but rather the funds that will enable clean-up and rebuilding:

$60 billion in aid was approved by Congress within two weeks of Katrina.

As of now, it's two months and counting with jackshit for the victims of Sandy.

Do I need to do more research or is the point made?

[Edi]

Here's the really stupid thing - if there had been a vote on December 31, as apparently planned, it could have passed and been completed that night. However, a new Congress coming in more or less resets the legislation. It now has to be resubmitted and passed in both houses again... meaning it's not going to get done for at least a couple weeks. In other words, this bullshit has inserted a completely unnecessary several weeks delay in getting aid to people.

But was this really that unexpected? The Republican masses have been voting in a bunch of "slash spending on everything" characters who, as has been said, want to make government small enough to drown in a bathtub. They've put into office people who ran on platforms of eliminating government's role and whose attitude is basically if you aren't capable/wealthy enough to deal with devastation on your own you don't deserve help, thus, bail outs for Wall Street but not Breezy Point. This, to my mind, is a logical consequence of the direction the Republican party has been going for years. In other words, the (non-)response to Katrina is now business as usual and this is what the main body of the Republicans have put into power whether it was actually what they wanted or not.

Republicans also regard the East Coast as Democrat controlled, so it is not at all out of the realm of possibility that they did what they did just to spite the region.

[Lord Relvenous]

Question.
Does Florida get a aid package when they get hit by Hurricanes stronger and more ofter than Sandy.
Did Texas get an aid package when they got hit by that big one a few years back that damaged some refineries.
If so then yes Sandy victims deserve aid.

Do you not get the idea of "second most damaging storm in US history"? Those examples you gave aren't even close to Sandy. Broomstick has the correct analogy: Katrina.

[Flagg]

Here's the really stupid thing - if there had been a vote on December 31, as apparently planned, it could have passed and been completed that night. However, a new Congress coming in more or less resets the legislation. It now has to be resubmitted and passed in both houses again... meaning it's not going to get done for at least a couple weeks. In other words, this bullshit has inserted a completely unnecessary several weeks delay in getting aid to people.

But was this really that unexpected? The Republican masses have been voting in a bunch of "slash spending on everything" characters who, as has been said, want to make government small enough to drown in a bathtub. They've put into office people who ran on platforms of eliminating government's role and whose attitude is basically if you aren't capable/wealthy enough to deal with devastation on your own you don't deserve help, thus, bail outs for Wall Street but not Breezy Point. This, to my mind, is a logical consequence of the direction the Republican party has been going for years. In other words, the (non-)response to Katrina is now business as usual and this is what the main body of the Republicans have put into power whether it was actually what they wanted or not.

Republicans also regard the East Coast as Democrat controlled, so it is not at all out of the realm of possibility that they did what they did just to spite the region.

Only the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, really. From Virginia on down it's pretty much red or a tossup.

[Flagg]

Wow, you're totally ignorant of how disaster aid works, aren't you?

Honest question: if this bill were passed today, how long would it take for the money to get to the constituents in need? What is the bureaucratic process behind this sort of thing?

Probably a few weeks or a couple of months unless FEMA has already calculated how much to give people for their damage. But the bulk of the money will go into repairing damaged infrastructure and that can take years.

[Lord Relvenous]

Good to see the Republicans got their shit together after the outcry. Oh wait, they didn't.

Michele Bachmann Introduces First Bill In New Congress To Repeal Obamacare, Again

Some things never change.

On Thursday, the first day of the 113th Congress, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) pounced on the opportunity to announce that she'd filed the first bill of the new legislative session. Something about it looked familiar.

It's an effort that has been tried repeatedly by House Republicans -- at least 33 times -- only to fail, or ultimately be shot down by the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

As Think Progress notes, Bachmann's proud declaration of her unwavering dedication to dismantling Obamacare comes just days after the 112th Congress came to a close following a highly criticized failure to wrap up work on a relief package for victims of Superstorm Sandy or move on a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

But while Bachmann is still keen on undoing President Barack Obama's health care reform package, some Republicans and GOP governors have begun to accept the law of the land, at least in pieces. And the public appears to be cooling on the idea of repealing the measure. A survey taken in the wake of Obama's November reelection found that only a third of Americans were in favor of eliminating the law, a record low.

Stay classy, fuckers.

[Flagg]

Seriousely, we need a fucking civics literacy test to be administered and passed with at least 90% correct before these dumb cunts can be sworn into office. They can take it 3 times, and then they get smacked back down to whatever hovel they crawled out of. And the first question should be an essay on what exactly the debt ceiling is.