Headlines

New-York-area legislators angry as House ends term without voting on Sandy aid

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.”…

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

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

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So they wait a few more days before passing that pork-laden monstrosity that we can’t afford…what’s the big deal? Since Obama did such a bang up job with the response (ha, ha), what’s the rush anyway?

changer1701 on January 2, 2013 at 9:20 AM

When passes it will be loaded with so much pork it will make the Katrina aid look frugal.

CorporatePiggy on January 2, 2013 at 9:20 AM

The pols who added all of the pork to the bill – $150 million for Alaska fisheries?!? – should be ashamed.

Oh, I forgot. They’re shameless.

Drained Brain on January 2, 2013 at 9:21 AM

Oh well – who cares? There are plenty of other handouts available.

Pork-Chop on January 2, 2013 at 9:22 AM

…King called the decision “absolutely inexcusable, absolutely indefensible. We cannot just walk away from our responsibilities.”

I agree with King, it’s inexcusable and indefensible to load this bill with so much pork…oh, wait a minute.

moonsbreath on January 2, 2013 at 9:23 AM

Pass it, pork it up, whatever. The Feral Government doesn’t have any money problems or anything.

forest on January 2, 2013 at 9:26 AM

I thought Obama and The Concert for Sandy Relief (to benefit the Robin Hood Relief Fund) healed the land, no additional aid needed.

Fallon on January 2, 2013 at 9:29 AM

Why should the House go out of its way to support lavish spending primarily on states that support their opposition (NJ, NY, Ct).

Tripwhipper on January 2, 2013 at 9:40 AM

Peter King was just on Fox saying all pork was removed. I never thought he eas a liar. He basically switched parties this morning.

ctmom on January 2, 2013 at 9:47 AM

So?

tyketto on January 2, 2013 at 9:52 AM

Yeah, and what will New York and New Jersey do? Vote even more Democrat? Why should Republicans give a flying rodent’s hindquarters about the Northeast?

Sekhmet on January 2, 2013 at 10:02 AM

The house did have a version of the Hurricane Sandy bill. I thought it was a single issue Hurricane response bill. Did it pass the House in November and move to the do nothing Senate? If this is what the Senate was building on, then it is supposed to go to a committee to sort it out, not get loaded up with non related spending.

The reason that the bill was not brought up by the House is that, under the conditions in the democrat Harry Reid Senate, he is not bringing up or passing any bills, so his own Dem Senators had to throw in every wish list they could on the Bus that was going out the door.

Here is what we want: Single issue bills, even if they are non partisan issues only. Presented to the American public with 5 days to comment, and then Harry Reid to bring them up for a vote. Nothing saved up to attach to a bill so that someone “has to” vote for it.

So many important things are held up, trying to attach those things to bills for things that nobody wants. And so many good bills that we want our reps to vote for have crap sandwiches inserted, like the Special Interest Wind Farm tax credit to Billionaires in the Wind Energy business, attached to last nights bill.

Sorry Peter King. Please explain to your constituents that your democrat friends in NY and NJ piled on the spending and it was not coming to you, it was for themselves, taking advantage of your tragedy.

Fleuries on January 2, 2013 at 10:44 AM

We also need a Speaker of the House who can articulate this information to the public.

ctmom on January 2, 2013 at 10:53 AM

King is threatening to switch parties.

Good riddance.

Drained Brain on January 2, 2013 at 11:32 AM

I’m in King’s district and there are a lot of suffering people here. Long Island is a red area, not that this should matter as this is beyond blind party loyalty. (Even if LI voted 100% GOP, NY would still be deep blue.)

Now when something hits the Gulf watch all the conservatives here demand instant govt aid.

Seven Seas on January 2, 2013 at 11:43 AM

I’m in King’s district and there are a lot of suffering people here. Long Island is a red area, not that this should matter as this is beyond blind party loyalty. (Even if LI voted 100% GOP, NY would still be deep blue.)

Now when something hits the Gulf watch all the conservatives here demand instant govt aid.

Seven Seas on January 2, 2013 at 11:43 AM

You have a point. When Tennessee was flooded, all those whiners could do was whine whine whine until the Feds stepped in and helped.

Joplin, MO, too.

cptacek on January 2, 2013 at 11:53 AM

Now when something hits the Gulf watch all the conservatives here demand instant govt aid.

Seven Seas on January 2, 2013 at 11:43 AM

I don’t think there’s much opposition to the idea of throwing NYC some cheese, but people remember Katrina. There was gratuitous pork and outright fraud involved in the distribution of the money.

Never let a crisis go to waste applies here – use a weather phenomenon as cover to reward our friends. (Or use a school shooting as cover for politicians to flagrantly violate their oaths by destroying the 2nd ammendment).

CorporatePiggy on January 2, 2013 at 11:55 AM