Hey after all its only New Jersey

So most of the media coverage today is focused on the fact that the US House came back in session just long enough to vote for the fiscal cliff deal.

But it turns out there is another big story as well: US House came back in session *just* long enough to vote for the fiscal cliff deal.

In that it turns out the cliff deal wasnt the only major piece of legislation congress needed to pass.  In fact they had already promised they would pass another bill.

Lets just listen for a second to this congressman and I think you'll see what I mean:

"No one even told us, the Speaker walked off the floor, told an aide to the Majority Leader that the Congress was finished. There were no votes and they come back and told us. Listen, I’m not taking this as personal offense. I’m talking about the thousands of people in my district, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the New York-New Jersey area. Within 10 days after Katrina, $60 billion was appropriated. Nine weeks after Sandy, not one penny has been appropriated. And let me just make this one point. These Republicans have no problem finding New York when they’re out raising millions of dollars. They’re in New York all the time filling pockets with money from New Yorkers. I’m saying anyone from New York and New Jersey who contributes one penny to Congressional Republicans is out of their mind. Because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans, it was an absolute disgrace. …

Why the Republican party has bias against New York, this bias against New Jersey, this bias against the Northeast. They wonder why they’re becoming minority party. Why we’ll be party of the permanent minority. What they did last night was so immoral, so disgraceful, so irresponsible. They’re supposed to be the party of family values. And you have families that are starving, families that are suffering, families that are spread all over living in substandard housing. This was a disgrace. They are inexcusable. And they have had it. As far as I’m concerned I’m on my own. They’re going to have to go a long way to get my vote on anything."

Now thats some pretty strong language, especially that bolded part, about the republican party. But I know what your thinking, thats pretty typical language when talking about the opposition party. And you might be right, but theres an small problem. That wasnt a member of the opposition party. That was congressman Peter King, a Republican who happens to represent part of Long Island. And not just any republican, he's the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and normally not my favorite congressman (cause hes a bit crazy, he spend most of last year holding hearing into American Muslims secret desire to topple to the US) but still thats a rather powerful committee especially if he follows through on the pledge to go on his own.  (also for the record in a latter interview in which he said much the same thing King also added Connecticut to the list with NY and NJ)

So yea, there you have it, a far right committee chairman is now calling people crazy if they give money to the republicans.

And he's not alone either:

"We were all set to go, and I feel that this was a betrayal, I just half to say it, I feel it's a betrayal and an indefensible, an indefensible error in judgment on the Speaker's behalf."-- New York Congressman Ryan Grimm

“With all that New York and New Jersey and our millions of residents and small businesses have suffered and endured, this continued inaction and indifference by the House of Representatives is inexcusable, It has now been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy hit and 27 days since President Obama put forth a responsible aid proposal that passed with a bipartisan vote in the Senate while the House has failed to even bring it to the floor. This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented.”

“The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty. When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night.”

Thats from a letter co-authored by New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat and New Jersey Republican Governor, Chris Christie.

I'm honestly not shocked the GOP is blocking disaster relief  they tried to do it after Irene and the Earthquake, they tried after the Colorado wild fires, they tried after the Joplin, hell they even blocked aid to 9/11 first responders.

What I am surprised about, and half pleased about is that Republicans are finally calling their party out for their own bullshit.

During the Irene/Earthquake double whammy, both Virginia's Eric Cantor and North Carolina's Virginia Foxx attempted to block disaster relief to their own constituents. Now at least republicans who's voters have been directly affected are at least tired of the gamesmanship.

I mean it would be better if they werent totally self serving, since King did call out the party of the 9/11 aid blocking but not on any of the others, but its a big start (Christie to his credit has not as far as I know ever favored blocking aid to anyone) at least.

Now of course John Boehner is now promising that Sandy Relief will be a top priority in the next congress....after of course saying it would be a top priority in the lame duck of this one, so credibility is a bit of a problem I would say.

Also of course on top of that because the 112th Congress is over, the relief bill has to start over from scratch, the version that had passed the Senate with GOP support and Obama was willing to sign no longer exists. Repassing that bill in the Senate (which I assume will be done pretty easily) will add maybe a week or two onto the final passage of the bill.

And hey I mean whats an unnecessary extra week or two redoing the same thing we already did simply because John Boehner is incompetent and apparently cant multitask. I mean after all its only [mostly] New Jersey  its not like its a state anyone gives a fuck about right?