Hse Pass the Hurican Sandy Relief Bil Do Th Virtuous Thng!

[JimofPennsylvan]

After the House passed the fiscal cliff avoidance bill last night some members of the House spoke passionately calling for the House to pass bill H.R. 1 the Hurricane Sandy Relief bill. I can understand the House Republicans scrapping that idea because this whole fiscal cliff avoidance legislation was a really rotten experience the Democrats put the Republicans through. The Democrats played hardball they forced the Republicans to pass the bill or otherwise tens of millions of American families would have been really hurt with higher taxes and the economy would have been seriously wounded and the Republicans would have been blamed for self inflicting this wound on the nation. The Democrats here weren't responsible about the deficit, debt and federal spending the Republicans sat at the table to do a grand bargain but the Democrats didn't! Nevertheless, the Republicans should be above payback be above acting inconsiderate and irresponsible like the Democrats. This HR 1 bill is reasonable and responsible. Even the billions in it for mitigation of harm from future hurricanes is good; Americans should always strive to be a wise people and it makes no sense to just rebuild something the way it was when common sense indicates America will more likely than not see Hurricanes like Sandy again in the future America should take mitigation steps so we don't have to do all this rebuilding again after the next big hurricane, didn't we build better levees and a flood protection system for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. In the last two years, America has not only suffered Hurricane Sandy on the East coast but Hurricane Isaac on the Gulf Coast and terrible flooding and terrible drought in the Midwest. This bill has infrastructure help to address all these natural disasters. The spending in this bill is responsible. If the House doesn't pass this bill in the next twenty-four hours this legislation will have to wait to the next session of Congress to pass and the next session of Congress is probably going to be World War III because the majority of Americans want the fiscal ship of America to be righted and were prepared to fight to do so so there won't be to many members of Congress eager to vote for this $60.4 billion bill! The American people were there for the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina with a relief bill the social compact the American people have with one another required this Hurricane Sandy's devastation to the East Coast requires this same type of aid bill, House Republicans rise above the Democrats behavior and pass this bill!

 

[waltky]

Pork gonna kill superstorm Sandy aid bill?...

Watchdog sees pork in Sandy relief bill
Monday, January 14, 2013 - Christie fights for $51B in aid

As Congress takes up the second slice of relief money for Superstorm Sandy, the influential Club for Growth said Monday it will seek to punish the lawmakers who support the $51 billion package because it includes wasteful spending and pork that have nothing to do with reconstruction efforts in the Northeast.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, meanwhile, continued to ramp up pressure on Congress to pass the relief package, saying that the proposal before Congress “simply isn’t” a pork bill, and that he has been assured that the GOP-controlled House will handle the Sandy relief legislation in a similar fashion to how Congress handled federal assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast, the tornado that slammed Joplin, Mo., and floods in Iowa. “We don’t expect anything more than that, but will not accept anything less,” Mr. Christie said, after touring recovery efforts in Bradley Beach, N.J. “If they want to make new rules about disasters, well they picked the wrong state to make the new rules with, and we are going to continue to fight as hard as we need to.”

The dueling messages underscore the divisions within Republicans ranks over the relief package — a $17 billion bill and $34 billion amendment —- that the House is expected to vote on this week. Earlier this month, Congress approved a $9 billion relief package to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood insurance program. But Mr. Christie, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, and other elected leaders from the Northeast — and both sides of the political aisle — have been waiting on Congress to approve more emergency funding and harshly criticized the delay.

The funding was expected to be voted on two weeks ago, but House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, changed gears and pulled a proposal after Republican lawmakers raised questions about some of the spending that was unrelated to the relief efforts. Still, the Club for Growth and other budget watchdogs, such as Taxpayers for Common Sense, say the $51 billion package that Congress is expected to consider this week also includes millions of dollars for Amtrak upgrades, FBI salaries and road projects in states not affected by the storm. As a result, there are some questions about whether there is enough Republican support in the House to approve the new spending.

Read more: Watchdog sees pork in Sandy relief bill - Washington Times

See also:

Conservatives chip away at $50b Sandy aid package
January 14, 2013 WASHINGTON (AP) — House conservatives opposed to more deficit spending tried Monday to chip away at the $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package by requiring offsetting spending cuts to pay for recovery efforts and by stripping money for projects they say are unrelated to the Oct. 29 storm or not urgently needed.

The push by budget hawks for amendments sets up a fight with Northeast lawmakers in both parties eager to provide recovery aid for one of the worst storms ever to strike the region as the House moves toward expected votes Tuesday on the emergency spending package. The base $17 billion bill by the House Appropriations Committee is aimed at immediate Sandy recovery needs, including $5.4 billion for New York and New Jersey transit systems and $5.4 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief aid fund.

Northeast lawmakers will have a chance to add to that bill with an amendment by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., for an additional $33.7 billion, including $10.9 billion for public transportation projects. The Club for Growth, a conservative group, on Monday urged lawmakers to oppose both Sandy aid measures. "Congress shouldn't keep passing massive 'emergency' relief bills that aren't paid for, have little oversight, and are stuffed with pork," the club said in a statement.

Sandy aid supporters, nonetheless, voiced confidence Monday they would prevail. The Senate passed a $60.4 billion Sandy aid package in December with bipartisan support. "We have more than enough votes, I'm confident of that," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., claiming a base of strong support from Democrats as well as Republicans from the Northeast and other states for both the base $17 billion bill and the amendment for the additional $33.7 billion.

The House Rules Committee Monday night approved 13 amendments for floor consideration, including one requiring spending offsets and four seeking to strike money for some projects not directly related to Sandy or not seen as emergency spending. "With that many amendments, one could sneak through," King said. "We should be able to defeat the important amendments, though."

More Conservatives chip away at $50b Sandy aid package | CNS News

 

[Wolfsister77]

I hope they just pass the damn thing. The help is needed.