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Speaker Boehner blamed for lack of help for Sandy victims?

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    Storm survivors struggling with red tape

  • Duration 7:13
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My instructions to the federal agency.

Has been a -- cut through red tape I want to cut through bureaucracy.

There's no excuse for inaction I instructed my team not to let red tape and bureaucracy get in the way of solving problems we are not gonna tolerate red tape we're not gonna tolerate bureaucracy.

And you know I've instituted a fifteen minute rule essentially on my team you returner -- phone calls and -- -- Let's.

Let us President Obama in the aftermath of super -- sandy promising expedited help for victims.

-- more than two months later there are still many people living in homes without power and heat and folks who are still homeless.

But now anger about the ladies in the sandy relief package in congress is being directed at the house Republicans.

Because speaker John Boehner delayed a vote on a sixty billion dollar sandy relief bill.

Earlier this week he's now we scheduled that vote part is gonna happen Friday -- another piece of that will happen next week.

Joining me now to discuss is Simon Rosenberg president and founder of the new Democrat network and a former campaign advisor for President Bill Clinton.

And mark -- -- a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute a columnist for the Washington Post and former speechwriter for George W.

Bush.

General welcome back good to see you.

Good to be -- here -- so and therein I think governor Chris Christie a Republican.

Came out and said that there is only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims the house majority and -- speaker John Boehner.

He is not blaming President Obama he doesn't think it's been his fault he thinks it's John Boehner is fault for not pushing through a vote on the FEMA relief bill -- on -- sandy relief bill.

Tuesday night the -- -- night after they voted on the fiscal cliff mark does he have a point.

It's a really bad week to be a Republican let me tell you.

That this is minutes.

Absolute debacle this is a self inflicted wound on the part of the house leadership they spent so much time they were so busy capitulated on the fiscal cliff that they didn't bother to explain the American people.

Why they weren't gonna capitulate on this -- -- in sandy relief bill.

And so Chris they've got Chris Christie and and Peter King yelling at them.

And making Obama's case for them.

I mean the reality is.

You know you just had all those quotes from President Obama saying I instructed people to do this I instructed people to do that it looks like he instructed congressional Democrats to load this thing up with pork pork pork pork pork.

The a -- to bill half of the money in this bill.

Is a force if for long term mitigation efforts that have nothing to do with -- victim said it's not for me.

-- immediate relief of Sandy's victims got money for.

Fisheries in Alaska and Mississippi it's got money for the roof for the Smithsonian and and so this bill is a monstrosity.

And on top of that it's you know that estimates of the cost of sand here between thirty and fifty billion dollars this thing is -- -- minimum ten billion and possibly double the actual cost of the storm.

So Republicans should had a better plan going forward in terms of explaining why they weren't doing this have a scaled back bill ready to go so they couldn't be blamed.

But boy this is and this is a mess of their own making.

Then what do you make of -- -- -- -- the the Republicans at least Darrell ice that came out.

And he said this isn't speaker Boehner is fault it is there it's the folks who -- all that pork in the bill he pointed to the New York senator's.

Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand and -- in evidence that stuck promised extra stuff in there.

It would have been an easy vote for us.

I think that both chambers and both parties are gonna have to get used to.

The other guys doing stuff that they don't like and and working it through its gotta be built into the into the mechanism how congress works and we've got to get beyond this idea that the house always blamed the senate the senate always -- the house.

For the next two years the house and the -- gonna pass things that are gonna have to be reconciled or not it's going to be very difficult.

Four.

I think it's unlikely that the senate will ever produce something that the house can vote on without changing.

-- -- that way but that's a little that's a little off when because that what I wanna ask you is it this is this Christie -- -- and that congress yeah saying I'm telling you as a Republican he says.

I I am as a Republican I am blaming the Republicans I am blaming the house Republicans -- squarely on their -- But but it is squarely on their shoulders and and the reason why is that.

Speaker Boehner what got a lot of the Republicans like Peter King Chris Christie angry is that he promised to bring it up with -- angry about was that he had promised.

To bring it up and they haven't done before they left he didn't keep his promise.

It made a lot of Republicans including house Republicans aren't happy were in the affected areas and the point is that if the Republicans -- don't like what's coming out of the senate.

-- mark and I talked about this last week Megan when -- on the show is that.

This is what's gonna happen again and again and again and -- what's gonna happen is -- house is gonna bitch and moan.

That -- senate pass on the that they didn't like instead of actually taking an on going to reconciliation.

In fighting it out in the normal -- that how congress works they've got to stop complaining and rolling up their sleeves and getting this work done on time.

Is it that or is it that you know that they saw some hypocrisy -- senators like Schumer.

Who they say had at had loaded in some of the port then -- expressing outrage that they didn't give it the vote that that he wanted.

I don't know mark you tell me that there seems to be some there some Republicans questioning why this is also focused on the house Republicans.

As opposed to run on President Obama on -- where they still have a bunch of money.

In the coffers and why isn't it getting spent wise his all on John Boehner.

Well there you're right -- mean that they they were right to oppose the bill is it is.

Potentially at least ten billion and potentially double the actual cost of the storm there is no need to pass.

A sixty billion dollar emergency bill this week they could have passed a bill that was half that amount.

That would have provided aid to the victims -- and -- and not not been stuck with this.

Which is what they should've done but look.

Korea we're talking about Chris Christie before you know Chris Christie ought to direct his fire President Obama -- he thinks this bill -- is so wonderful Obama used him as a prop before the election.

And then once the election was over -- -- was the romance.

Did that if President Obama -- -- he had a bill this week.

That the Republicans have to pass was called the fiscal -- He included money in there for hundreds of millions of dollars billions of dollars for Hollywood for Goldman Sachs for rum producers for algae -- mean there was literally forty billion dollars in tax expenditures in that bill but he didn't have any money in their percentage victims -- Obama and Schumer thought this was such a priority.

They should have included in the fiscal cliff bill they included everything else.

So let's start that I do to present.

Obama but mark they passed the separate bill on the 28 before the fiscal cliff bill.

Had been passive -- gotten that done Boehner promised everybody in town who's gonna get done -- didn't.

And now what we're gonna see is the speaker doesn't like the senate bill is gonna pass a different bill.

And I'll have to work in the next you know week to ten days to reconcile it.

And bring it together but I think you're right the speaker blew this one it's been a tough week for the Republican Party and let's hope this -- -- -- I don't -- and the next week to ten days.

After rising crime actually -- I don't think -- actually -- these -- by the mega neither of us cry today on your shot are you and paste it in favor against the -- Mark what do you think I'm in favor on the paper I'm a Democrat but I favorite son and -- I think it in gears a lot of people to speaker banner makes me like him much more all very solidly -- -- nonpartisan thank you guys.

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