Christie blasts Boehner on Sandy bill: "Shame on Congress"
In this photo provided by the Office of the Governor of New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a news conference at New Jersey's State House on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in Trenton, N.J. / Tim Larsen,AP Photo/New Jersey Governor's Office
Gov. Christie: Sandy bill could not overcome toxic House politics
Updated: 3:48 p.m. ET
After taking a public shaming from Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, relented today to hold a vote this Friday for one of two aid packages aimed at providing relief for states hit by superstorm Sandy.
Shortly before Boehner announced his reversal, Christie joined a chorus of Republican and Democratic lawmakers decrying House GOP leadership for stalling on a $60.4 billion Sandy recovery package.
"There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: The House majority and their speaker John Boehner," Christie told reporters in a press conference today. "Last night, my party was responsible for this."
The House was expected to vote last night on a $60.4 billion package that would have provided disaster aid to states hit by superstorm Sandy more than two months ago. The Senate passed a similar measure last week, and Christie said he was receiving "assurances" that the bill would "get done" as late as 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday night, Jan. 1. Ultimately, however, Boehner decided not to take up the bill for a vote, and Christie said he was informed of the decision just minutes before midnight last night.
Gov. Christie: House GOP, Boehner "disappointing and disgusting to watch"
"I was called at 11:20 last night by Leader [Eric] Cantor and told that authority for the vote was pulled by the speaker," Christie said today. He said his own attempts to get through to Boehner were unsuccessful.
"I called the speaker four times. He did not take my calls," he said. "All I can tell you is this was the speaker's decision -- his alone."
Christie condemned the decision as "unprecedented," "outrageous," and politically motivated. He also took a swipe at the work of Congress members: "Unlike people in Congress, we have actual responsibilities," Christie said.
"I think, unfortunately, folks are putting politics ahead of their responsibilities," he said. "It's absolutely disgraceful... It's why the American people hate Congress."
According to a Republican leadership aide, the legislation was not taken up in part due to timing: After months of fraught negotiations, Congress yesterday signed off on a bill that many Republicans opposed, in part due to new hikes in tax rates for the wealthy. The aide cited assurances from FEMA that there are sufficient disaster response funds to last through March, and Boehner told New York and New Jersey members that the disaster relief package will be his number one priority in the new Congress and will happen within the month.
But Christie, who spoke to Boehner this morning, said he had been given no "credible" reason for the holdup, and had "no reason for me to believe anything they tell me, because they've been telling me stuff for weeks, and they didn't deliver." Even while distancing House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., from his critiques somewhat, the famously outspoken Republican governor expressed disgust and disappointment with the "know-nothings" in Congress who held the bill up.
"Last night, politics was placed before our oaths to serve our citizens. For me it was disappointing and disgusting to watch," he said. "If the people of New Jersey feel betrayed today by those who did this in the House last night, then they have good company. I'm with them."
Not long after Christie's remarks, Boehner said he would bring two Sandy aid packages to the floor: A $9 billion package this Friday and a $51 billion package when Congress returns January 15th. The $9 billion vote will be on flood insurance only.
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No, that thought has never come to the rabid teabagging extremists of the far-right, and they will continue to purge more and more moderates from the GOP pup tent, and eventually go the way of the Whigs!
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Yes, perfect description of the AWOL alcoholic george WMD bush, that did more damage that will last for decades, including the current drivers of our deficits today and for years to come, and along with his PNAC NEOCON WARmongers, will always be considered as our worst president EVER!
Why aren't WE THE PEOPLE outraged about paying $174,000 (plus perks) to mostly wealthy people that are always on vacation and do nothing for us?
Then your racist hate and discontent will just change to bigotry, since republicans have been waging their WAR on Women for decades, and still 'think' women should be subservient to men!
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Yes, perfect description of the AWOL alcoholic george WMD bush, that did more damage that will last for decades, including the current drivers of our deficits today and for years to come, and along with his PNAC NEOCON WARmongers, will always be considered as our worst president EVER!
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What's worse than the partisan politics about providing relief for states hit by superstorm Sandy, is that this 113th Congress just got sworn-in yesterday, and will be taking a vacation until mid-January!
The 112th Congress was worse than the "do-nothing" Congress decades ago, and besides being the least productive and the most partisan, it was the least-liked and had the lowest job approval rating of all congresses!
All these bozos have to do is work a few days, accomplish next to nothing, and then hit the campaign finance trail in order to become more cozy with lobbyists and multi-millionaires!
When are the people going to stand up and demand an end to the corrupt government that feeds on their own population's misfortune for political gain?
back to the subject.
The people who were hit by Hurricane Sandy have been in trouble ever since this hurricane happened and some of these comments are really really stupid and some of you have no moral compass..
Get a life.
Tomorrow Christie will be kissing Boehner and declaring him a God..It's a Republican thing.
We were hit by Hurricane Ivan in 2004..we lived in an area that was never hit by a hurricane so we felt safe...silly us.....Thanks to FEMA, Brownie hired illegal aliens to help with the cleanup....some of them stayed are still in Alabama and have brought their families over to our country...the hospitals don't get paid for the anchor babies they deliver, (most of them are Catholic hospitals), the illegals get WIC assistance and their kids get a free education..the greedy, corrupt companies get cheap hires and the rest of the true Americans get the shaft....
For all you folks hit by Hurricane Sandy, don't let your insurance companies nor you contractors hire illegal help..many of YOU need jobs,, that care of yourselves your neighborhoods and your families.
HEMA should have helped and continue to help when Obama came and told everyone that if they needed help, the would receive a phone call within 15 minutes...he dropped the ball but not checking up on who was getting help and Christie dropped the ball by letting all the go on for so long. People of this area, should have gone to Washington D.C and protested mightly and loudly to the Congress about having to wait so long for assistance to rebuilt.
I will also add that if you have had to rebuild more than 2 times you need to seriously move somewhere where you don't have to continue to rebuilt. This is what happened to us, we moved. Some of us built our homes in the wrong place, we have to deal with that...the weather is changing and the tides are coming in higher and the storms are more and more deadly. Global warming IS happening....
Google up earth and see all the polution coming at us from the West where China is making all the junk we buy..
The top-five outbound states for 2012 were:
New Jersey
Illinois
West Virginia
New York
New Mexico
New Jersey (62 percent) displaced the outbound leader from last year, Illinois (60 percent) reclaiming the top spot for high-outbound migration that it held in 2010.
The Northeast is the most well-represented region on the high-outbound traffic list. In addition to New Jersey, New York (58 percent), Maine (56 percent) and Connecticut (56 percent) are also included. All non right to work states.
Leftenant Steele:Say,it was mighty noble of Capt Obama to allow us to keep our rank after the Democrats won fair and square...AGAIN.
Leftenant Boehner:Yeah,well...no good deed goes unpunished, I say!
Background voice of Dick Armey:Heh,Heh,Heh,Heh...
An alarm bell rings while a voice cries out: Man overboard! Man overboard!
Steele and Boehner scramble upstairs to the main deck where they almost trip over an individual scrubbing the floor.
Leftenant Steele: Ex-Capt Limbarf,sorry sir...we heard the alarm and...
Ex-Capt Limbarf: Yes,yes scurvy idiots.A woman and her child just fell overboard.Now listen,there's not much time!You two have to rush to Capt Obama and delay any rescue attempt!Demand a rescue vote,then don't participate in it,then complain about inclusion,screw up everything he tries to do!
Leftenant Boehner: But sir!Why delay the rescue?
Ex-Capt Limbarf:Because,you idiot,the delay will cause the woman and child to drown and Capt Obama will get the blame!!
Background voice of Dick Armey: Heh,Heh,Heh,Heh,Heh,Heh...
Until we all wise up to AT&T, PG&E, Chevron, Exxon, Wal Mart etc., etc. we are going down.