Posted on 01/04/2013 9:32:10 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The House has approved $9.7 billion in new aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy, a face-saving quick move taken three days after House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) earned scathing criticism from New York and New Jersey Republicans for canceling a late-night vote on the funds.
The bill, which will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay out claims to those who held federal flood insurance, was approved on a 354 to 67 vote. The Senate is expected to adopt it later Friday on a unanimous voice vote.
Boehner seems to have had reason to be concerned about bringing a larger $60 billion spending measure to the floor on Tuesday: All the votes against the smaller bill on Friday came from his own party members.
They were encouraged by the conservative Club for Growth, which argued the additional disaster spending should be offset with cuts to other government programs. The continued GOP opposition could spell trouble for a larger $51 billion Sandy bill that Boehner has promised will come before the House on Jan. 15.
And it provided a second example in a week of a bill approved with more Democratic support than Republican backing, an outcome that deeply troubles conservatives about the efficacy of their governing majority in the House.
Still, it quieted a political storm for Boehner that erupted when he pulled the bill from the floor late Tuesday, worried he would have trouble corralling GOP votes for it from members exhausted from a debate over a bill to avert the “fiscal cliff” by raising taxes on the wealthy.
Boehner’s decision prompted an eruption of anger from lawmakers and others from states affected by the November superstorm. Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J) told reporters that Boehner had ignored four calls from him Tuesday night
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Hopefully mine was a dissenter.
Not. Another. Dime.
9 billion???? Good Lord I thought the total was 60 million. Is the rest of that pork????? Good Lord we are doomed. Does the tax increase on the 450 thousand folks even cover 9 billion?????
Not sure how I feel about this. I’m frustrated that our Congress critters can’t seem to figure out how to cut spending. On the other hand, why wouldn’t the feds provide disaster relief in this case when they do for other natural disasters? (Not saying that the feds should EVER provide such relief, or that this dollar amount is appropriate if they do.)
Cox: Sandy Relief Bill ‘Pork-Laden’
Earlier today Gov. Andrew Cuomo wondered out loud where Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Republican Chairman Ed Cox were on the $60.4 billion Sandy relief bill that’s stalled in the GOP-led House of Representatives.
Skelos had actually released a statement prior to the governor’s comments.
But Cox didn’t until now, and it’s critical of the measure for attaching too much ancillary or “pork” related spending to the measure. But Cox signaled in the statement that while the measure’s passage was “complicated” by the fiscal cliff contretemps, the state Republican Party is disappointed DC lawmakers couldn’t agree on a relief measure.
The statement also takes a veiled swipe about “playing partisan politics in the press.”
The Associated Press reported this afternoon that House Speaker John Boehner has told lawmakers a vote on Sandy aid would be held by Jan. 15.
Needless to say, these aren’t exactly the words of Republican Rep. Peter King, who slammed the House leadership for not taking up the bill, going as far as to suggest New York donors shouldn’t contribute to the GOP unless the bill is approved.
http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2013/01/cox-sandy-relief-bill-pork-laden/
Psst...IIRC, FEMA has a fund set aside...why MORE money??
And don't private companies sell the Insurance?? Is there double dipping??
RE: The 60 bil package is almost all pork. Someone posted it yesterday. It was insane.
_______________________________
Boehner didn’t hold up the relief measure because he’s a mean man who wants the suffering to continue in devastated areas. He did so because the $60 billion was larded with pork-barrel projects unrelated to storm damage. Here’s a very short list:
• $13 billion for large infrastructure projects that we are assured would “mitigate” damage from future storms.
• $10.8 billion for public transportation, almost entirely for future projects, not disaster relief.
• $207 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Manhattan Medical Center.
• $199 million in tax breaks for rum makers.
• $188 million for upgrading, not repairing, Amtrak rail lines.
• $150 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide fisheries in Alaska.
• $100 million for a federal day-care program.
• $57 million for tracking debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami.
• $20 million for a national “water priorities” study.
• $8 million to buy vehicles and equipment for the departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
Remember, this is just the short version of the pork list. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, says a bill that focused solely on Hurricane Sandy relief would be less than half of $60 billion.
That’s just the bill Congress should pass – with matching cuts in existing federal spending to keep down the deficit. That’s just the bill Congress would pass – were it run by responsible adults who could do sixth-grade math and who didn’t want to bequeath their children and grandchildren with crushing government debt.
But instead, most Democrats and too many Republicans just want to rev up the presses and print more money.
No, it's $60 billion. The other $51 billion comes in eleven days.
they're all wanting to be Looterman now.
Congress wants to be Looterman now. someone should photoshop Looterman with the head of the pork-loving swine voting for that when it come up...
King and Cuomo are two peas in a pod.
Christie is just a plain big mouthed Chicago type thug...Who the hell would ever lower a flag to half staff for a druggie??
Hopefully mine was a dissenter.
*******
The bill, which will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay out claims to those who held federal flood insurance, was approved on a 354 to 67 vote. The Senate is expected to adopt it later Friday on a unanimous voice vote.
.....Are you opposed to FEMA being able to payout claims?...
This was merely a down payment. They are voting on the remaining $51 billion next week.
Here’s the link to the Yeas/Nays by the members vote. The 67 Nays were all Republicans.
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2013&rollnumber=7&TB_iframe=true&height=400&width=650
Hurricane Sandy pork list
I’m opposed to federal government unconstitutionally paying out for acts of God.
More pork. :(
Most of that stuff is non-hurricane related pork, but the $207 million for the VA medical center is not. The medical center was heavily damaged by the storm, and has yet to re-open (I believe the plan is to re-open in March at the earliest).
Call me cynical but all dissent at this point is just for show. Even if the honest R’s don’t know it, they’re part of a game.
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