House passes disaster aid, Dems cry foul

WASHINGTON - With the economy sputtering, the warring factions of Congress took another step toward gridlock early Friday as the Republican-led House approved a $1.043 trillion Continuing Resolution to keep the government running past the end of the fiscal year, through November 18.

CBS News Capitol Hill producer Jill Jackson reports the bill, which also includes $3.65 billion in disaster aid funding for FEMA, passed by a vote of 219 to 203, just minutes before 1 a.m. in Washington.

GOP leaders convinced enough of their ranks to vote for the bill - which failed in a first vote - after adding $100 million in savings from a program that financed a federal loan to the now-bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra Inc.

The leader of the Senate, however, has vowed that majority Democrats will reject the bill as soon as it reaches their chamber on Friday — continuing the partisan war into the weekend and increasing the chances that the government's main disaster account might run dry early next week.

FEMA funding showdown brews in Congress

Democrats want almost double the $3.7 billion in disaster aid approved by House Republicans, and strongly oppose cuts to two clean energy programs demanded by the GOP House.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the House plan "is not an honest effort at compromise..... It will be rejected by the Senate."

Jackson reports House leaders say they'll still go on recess over the weekend, no matter what the Senate does. "They are trying to force this on the Senate," she says. But, Jackson points out, Reid will have his work cut out for him trying to find an alternative in time to avoid a government shutdown.

"I urge the Senate to quickly pass this bill so we can send it to the president and keep our focus on the American people's top priority: jobs," said GOP House Speaker John Boehner in a statement released after the vote. "It provides immediate assistance to Americans impacted by natural disasters in a way that's best for families and taxpayers. And it lets lawmakers continue the important work of removing government barriers to private-sector job growth. The Democratic-led Senate should pass it without delay."

The renewed partisanship sends a discouraging sign as a bitterly divided Washington looks ahead to more significant debates on President Obama's jobs plan and efforts by a congressional supercommittee to slash deficits.

The maneuvering started as Republicans controlling the House moved to resurrect the disaster aid package after an embarrassing loss Wednesday. Instead of reaching out to Democrats, House GOP leaders looked to persuade wayward tea party Republicans to change their votes and help approve the assistance — and try to force Senate Democrats into a corner with little choice but to accept cuts to clean energy programs they favor.

"We're fed up with this," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Democratic Whip. "They know what it takes for us to extend (stopgap funding) and keep the government in business. And this brinksmanship ... we're sick of it."

Unless Congress acts by midnight next Friday, much of the government will shut down. More immediate is the threat that the government's main disaster aid account will run dry early next week.

The battling came as the stock market absorbed heavy losses and pessimism about the economy deepened. The arguing was reminiscent of the poisonous atmosphere of this summer rather than lawmakers' more recent promises to work together to find common ground where possible.

Obama hardly sounded conciliatory as he pressed for action on his jobs bill at an Ohio River bridge that links Speaker Boehner's home state of Ohio with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's Kentucky. Echoing Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall, Obama intoned, "Mr. Boehner, Mr. McConnell, help us rebuild this bridge."

In Washington, Wednesday's embarrassing 230-195 defeat of the disaster aid bill in the GOP-majority House exposed divisions within the Republican Party that demonstrated the tenuous grip that Boehner has on the chamber. Forty-eight Republicans opposed the measure, chiefly because it would permit spending at the rate approved in last month's debt pact between Boehner and Obama, a level that is unpopular with tea party lawmakers.

GOP leaders maneuvered to win a vote on the largely identical measure by arguing to wayward Republicans that the alternative was to give Democrats a better deal by adding more disaster aid or decoupling it from $1.5 billion in spending cuts.

"What we voted on yesterday was the best deal Republicans could get and it can only go downhill from here," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "So we should try to revote again on the same bill we had yesterday, vote on it again, pass it this time, or if not we'll have to make concessions that would help the Democrats."

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[Dgunner]

AS long as congress gets thier check they don't care just look at thier record. As long as they can keep the game in overtime they don't care about john doe veteran or the guy starving in the alleys.Besides the greed of the political parties . The biggest threat to the future of this Nation is welfare babies deadbeat parents and the lack of attention to laws to stop the american people from screwing like rabbits and then draging thier kids to the welfare office to get more foodstamps to feed little johnny whos seed donor is unknown by thier ***** mother and thier ***** mongering seed donor. This problem knows no dicrimination and runs across all etnics.The president wants no child left behind. The tax payers can't work ebough hours and pay enough taxes to support a program that gets out of control and stays out of control.They baby making welfare parents deserve every minute of poverty and thier children will suffer the sins of thier parents.The next generation will be dumber and less able to create a lifestyle because the only one they know is welfare and drig dealing or prostitution.

[webdepot]

"Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "So we should try to revote again on the same bill we had yesterday, vote on it again, pass it this time, or if not we'll have to make concessions that would help the Democrats."

This quote from the article shows exactly where the Repuglican's heart is... and it is not with the people.. Whatever they do, DO NOT pass any legislation that would help the Dems... Screwing the people is fine with them, as long as they are screwing the Dems also.. Such petty, childish BS from supposed adults is sickening.. The GOP should all rot in hell.

[niko3man]

Yesterday, every dem/lib were complainning that the repub didn't pass the bill to help FEMA but today, they're complainning that they passed!! Are they complainning the game the Senate dem is playing saying NO to help fund FEMA? Why not put to a vote and open for discussion as they allways use it to excuse when they want a vote for what they want?

[WhttevrrWorks]

Oh and...
I benefit by my government spending money on my fellow Americans across the country. I am not affected by fire, flood, or earthquake disaster. West Coast lucked out this year.

However, I do benefit by not seeing my fellow Americans suffering, dieing, drowning, burning... etc. It's just this funny thing I have called a conscience. Because I know that FEMA is not going to make those people completely whole again. They have lost way too much. But, it sure as hell should not let them die in the streets and become the new permanent homeless.

It just makes more sense to help our fellow Americans in times of disaster.

[WhttevrrWorks]

$174,000 per congress/senate member.

X 535
________

93,090,000

Can we reduce their salaries?
How about 4 times the poverty rate?

[myIife2live]

by myIife2live September 23, 2011 11:43 AM EDT
It is not up to the Federal Government to repair private storm damage for some people with no insurance while other people scrimp and do without to provide insurance for their own repair. The same goes for other social programs: it is not fair for the Federal Government to provide for some people with other people's tax money. Tax money should only be used for PUBLIC undertakings, and those should be NEEDED public undertakings instead of junk projects.

[seenoland]

Actually he is right. helping people that were not insured with loans is one thing but giving the money to them is another. Make a loan available and be sure they pay it back. Those people knew the risk of being uninsured and chose to take it and bear responsibility for their actions.

[myIife2live]

Why do Democrats think that tax revenues are to spend "as wanted"? Tax revenues were meant by the Constitution to only be used in those areas that would benefit ALL citizens of an area, not a particular citizen or a particular SET of citizens. There are very few true Constitutional uses of tax revenues, and the U.S. has gotten so far away from the Constitutional use of tax revenues that the majority of the public is lost as to what the Constitution actually provides for in collecting tax revenue.

[msimamaji]

Global climate change is a scientific fact, proven over and over again. It doesn't matter what the public believes. It doesn't matter whether the GOP wins in 2012. As long as we keep dumping record amounts of green house gases into the atmosphere, we will witness more droughts, tornados, floods, hurricanes, wildfires. Even if we get down to 350 parts per million, extreme weather is likely to continue because of the damage we have already inflicted on the environment.

Extreme weather will create more disasters. It will also inflict more damage to our infrastructure. Therefore, we will need a much larger FEMA fund, stricter zoning regulations, and more money for infrastructure repair. We also desperately need a green technology - because if we don't go green, China will, and so will Abu Dhabi, one of the petro shiekdoms on the Persian Gulf. (What does that tell us about a petro economy?)

That's a give we must accept. The only question remains - how will we pay for it. I'd suggest we eliminate subsidies for oil companies. We will also need to eliminate all the loopholes that the wealthy are corporations use - including subsidies to off-shore American jobs. We also need to tax the very wealthy - who are creating our problems.

[myIife2live]

If this is true, and I say IF, it becomes the Fed Gov's job to REGULATE building structure codes to withstand these conditions, to the best of its ability. It is NOT the Fed Gov's place to pay for private structure repairs that are build sub-code and in flood zone areas, tornado alleys, and hurricane-prone coast areas OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Public structures and infrastructures in those disaster prone areas also need to adhere to a stricter code. It will cost less to build better once than to repair over and over again. Let's face it, some areas are nice to live in until a disaster strikes. Give those disaster-prone areas back to nature and move to a less disaster prone area.

[seenoland]

Pink unicorns running through the Whitehouse organic garden while pixies play golden harps is a scientific fact.

[myIife2live]

Here we go again. Democrats want to double the amount of FEMA funds offered by Republicans. FEMA should not do private repairs or provide temporary housing for no more than a couple of weeks after an emergeny. New Orleans is a prime example of that. People are still living off FEMA as well as other Federal Government programs from that storm alone. FEMA is for emergencies. It is not a private insurance company for people too lazy to provide housing insurance for themselves. FEMA is for the cleaning up and restoration of PUBLIC infrastructure so that areas can get over a disaster. Private housing destruction should be taken care of by having private insurance. FEMA is taking business away from private insurance companies by providing repairs for private housing after a storm. This is unconstitutional.

If my house burns and I have no fire insurance, I get no help from FEMA. I rely on family and friends for care. The government doesn't recognize my disaster, even though it is just as much as a personal disaster as if my house blew away during a hurricane.

But if my house blows away during a hurricane, and I have no hurricane insurance, FEMA will house me, feed me, and pet me until I, if ever, get ready to be a man again and support myself. How is that right? Personal disaster is personal disaster. FEMA funds should NOT be available for personal disasters, only PUBLIC disasters.

[myIife2live]

When public property is destroyed, it should be restored with FEMA funds. When private property is destroyed, it should be covered by the owner.

Instance: my house is hit by a hurricane and lands on the street, blocking trafic. FEMA should clean it off the street.

My house is hit by a hurricane and debris lands only on my land. FEMA funds should not be responsiblie or available to help me out. I own the house - I should have insurance or suck it up.

[msimamaji]

Global warming will mean more weather related disasters. Right now, insurance companies are working overtime to restructure their rates. You may find that you cannot afford insurance at all because of global warming. Then, what will happen.

[Socialization]

Eventually and probably pretty soon, all of this spending will take care of itself. There will be no more borrowing because no one will lend it to us. More Quantitative Easing (printing money for you libs) will result in serious inflation and keep passing the problem to future generations. As well inflation is the worst hidden tax of all because it will hit everyone regardless of income.

Tax increases on the rich will only result in small modest increases in revenue (maybe) and perhaps no deficit reduction at all... Money has a funny way of avoiding higher taxation and the Government has a funny way of spending every last dollar it gets plus a few trillion more.

I don't know what the answer is, but clearly if we do not get the spending habit under control and soon, we will all pay greatly. As Obama said recently when touting his tax increase plan for the wealthy, it is simple math.... The problem of course is that his math is full of errors and omissions and out right lies.

We need to get serious on controlling spending and the rapid growth of Government. Every dollar sucked out in wasted Federal spending takes a productive dollar from the private sector and gives it to the non productive Government..

We are on train heading for a disaster and the speed of which is increasing every day...

[ge556]

Isn't it funny how "deficits don't matter" when Republicans are in charge, but they're the worst thing in the world when Democrats are in charge?

[Socialization]

by ge556 September 23, 2011 11:03 AM EDT

You cannot complain about deficit spending under Bush and not complain about it under Obama.

In particular you cannot complain about deficit spending under Republican controlled congress and not complain about it under Democratic controlled congress.

In the past 11 years.

Dems controlled the house 5 years
Dems controlled the Senate 7 years