House Republicans block $19.1 billion nationwide disaster aid bill for third time

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

House conservatives blocked a bipartisan $19.1 billion disaster aid bill for the third time Thursday, once again thwarting Democrats’ efforts to pass the long-delayed legislation that is supported by President Trump.

The objection was voiced by freshman Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) after Democrats sought to advance the legislation via unanimous consent. That’s a process that can be used to pass bills when the House is not in session — as it currently is not — as long as no lawmaker objects. But Rose’s objection meant the bill that would deliver assistance to states and territories hard-hit by hurricanes, flooding and wildfires did not advance, just as happened twice in the past week with other conservative lawmakers stepping in to make the objection. “Our nation is $22 trillion in debt,” Rose said in brief remarks in a nearly empty House chamber. He said trying to pass nearly $20 billion in new spending was “another act of irresponsible big government.”

The conservatives say that such a significant piece of legislation should be debated and voted in full, not rushed through with the House out of session. Rose called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to bring lawmakers back to Washington during the week-long Memorial Day recess. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who was the first to hold up the bill last week, also complained because the bill excluded a separate emergency spending request for the border that the administration had asked for. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) blocked the bill on Tuesday. The House did approve by voice vote a two-week extension of the National Flood Insurance Program, which was set to expire on Friday.

The conservatives’ stance has angered Democrats and fellow Republicans alike, who have been trying for months to reach agreement on the legislation. But the hang-up is destined to be short-lived since the House will come back into session next week at which point Democratic leaders plan to bring the bill up and pass it under ordinary procedures.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-republicans-block-191-billion-nationwide-disaster-aid-bill-for-third-time/2019/05/30/17eb4b58-82e1-11e9-bce7-40b4105f7ca0_story.html

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The GOP plan - Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

Original article and headline -

Lone Republican blocks $19.1 billion disaster aid bill, third time GOP stops House passage of relief for areas hit by natural disasters

By Washington Post Staff
May 30 at 4:36 PM

Freshman Rep.John Rose (R-Tenn.) objected on Thursday as Democrats tried to pass the bill by voice vote. Approval of the measure will have to wait until next week when the full House is in session.

The legislation would provide billions of dollars in assistance to communities hard hit by hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. Congress will still have to get estimates on the damage from tornadoes and other disasters that have occurred in recent weeks.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2019/05/30/lone-republican-blocks-19-1-billion-disaster-aid-bill-third-time-gop-stops-house-passage-of-relief-for-areas-hit-by-natural-disasters/?utm_term=.2facd4ec7d74&wpisrc=al_politics__alert-politics&wpmk=1

[dem4decades]

1. How are Republican house members blocking this? I didn't think they had the power.

[forgotmylogin]

2. Any single member can object to 'unanimous consent'.

Technically, they're not objecting to the legislation, they're objecting to it being handled summarily with a quick "we good on this?" and no debate. This prevents legislation from getting crushed through out of session. These specific objections are likely just Repubs enjoying pulling their best Mitch McConnell and throwing tire-spikes in the way of the Democratic House accomplishing something useful.

[dem4decades]

8. Thanks

[BumRushDaShow]

4. This bill was passed by the Senate and the House is trying to pass it by "unanimous consent"

since most members are not in town due to the holiday week. With a "unanimous consent", all you need is one person to "object" to the Unanimous Consent request and that kills it. Doing so would then require a full vote (either voice or roll call) which wouldn't happen until members are back in town next week.

Since the House is doing "pro-forma" sessions (gavelling in for "morning business" every 3 days), they were attempting to get this through faster as they know it would normally pass anyway and can get signed into law (no objection from the WH). This was the 3rd try at it.

The Republicans are of course being asses.

[dem4decades]

9. Thanks. Republicans are experts at being asses.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. The guy who blocked it is apparently in his first term.

[dem4decades]

11. If you are a first term Republican after the last election you represent a bunch of morons.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Basically.

[trev]

16. Hopefully it will also be his last.

Previous post deleted in error....

[BumRushDaShow]

18. He won the seat formerly held by Diane Black

who resigned to run for Governor last summer (and lost in the primaries to Bill Lee - most likely due to her horrible record of missing Congressional votes).

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/tn-elections/2018/11/06/republican-john-rose-wins-6th-congressional-district/1734265002/

[mwooldri]

5. House isn't in session, so anything has to be passed with unanimous vote.

One disapproval delays bill until house is in session (i.e. Monday).

I don't know if US House has guillotine measures (i.e. force things through quickly with little debate) but if they do, they should use them as soon as the house is back in session to get this emergency funding passed.

[walkingman]

6. This was the 3rd try at getting it passed by "unanimous consent" - 3rd Republican to do so.

Now this forces the full house to debate the bill after they return in a few days. The sad thing is they already debated the bill prior to sending it to the Senate. This just the GOP being obnoxious. Most of their constituents like that. How do you think Trump got elected. There are a lot of folks just like him.

[dem4decades]

7. I get it. Make government not work then complain government doesn't work.

[Grins]

13. "Our nation is $22 trillion in debt!" - Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.)

"And because of that massive debt, we should repeal The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017!", the hypocritical Reich-wing weasel didn't add.

[Tech]

14. Tennessee Texas and Kentucky

Just bless their southern hearts.

Tennessee just received $151 million in disaster relief March 22, 2019.

Kentucky received federal disaster assistance April 17, 2019


In Texas on February 26, hud gave additional $652 million in disaster relief.

I have no problem with helping those in need. I do have a problem with them taking help and then withholding it from others.

I am so sick of republicans playing their games.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. THIS!

They are a bunch of selfish brutes.

[Blue_Tires]

19. OH SO *NOW* THESE FUCKERS PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT THE DEFICIT

[Evolve Dammit]

20. They are taking turns making a joke of the legislative process. System is damn close to broken.

And they're enjoying it as their base eats it up.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. I remember when Tom Coburn used to do this in the Senate

especially since he was willing to stay behind to plug up the works during attempts at "unanimous consent" legislation. Lots of articles about him doing this but here is one not behind a paywall (from over a decade ago) -

The bucks stop here

By RYAN GRIM

12/11/2007 06:01 AM EST

A typical bill moving through the Senate has a number of institutional hurdles to clear: subcommittee, committee, leadership and Coburn. It’s that last one that you won’t find in a textbook. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, has long been known as the Senate’s gadfly, crusading against wasteful government spending. In the last year, however, this gadfly has gone through a metamorphosis and is now more of a scorpion: If you’re not careful, he’ll kill your bill. For that reason, Senate aides on both sides of the aisle now take legislation directly to Coburn’s office before moving forward to make sure he has no objections — whether he’s on the relevant committee or not. If he does, they often swallow their pride and make the changes he’s asking for.

<...>

Although the Senate doesn’t keep official records on how many holds senators employ, Coburn’s office does: He’s holding 95 different pieces of legislation for a variety of reasons. His jam-fest likely ranks as one of the most prolific in the history of the institution, said Donald Ritchie, an associate Senate historian.

If senators thought there might be a holiday reprieve in their efforts to get crucial spending measures passed, Coburn let them know otherwise in a letter last week. “In the remaining hours of this session of Congress,” he promised, “I will not agree to any unanimous consent requests to authorize or appropriate increased spending or expand the size and cost of the federal government.”

Coburn has the rules of the Senate in his favor. “It’s difficult to work around a senator. Ultimately, it’s a cloture vote. It’s very time-consuming, and you can’t do that on most issues,” said Cardin.

https://www.politico.com/story/2007/12/the-bucks-stop-here-007310

[Evolve Dammit]

22. Thanks much for that info. A professional at blocking and subverting legislation. Wonderful.

[BumRushDaShow]

23. I remember when he blocked the Pigford II payouts

to Black farmers. I actually watched his objection arguments to the unanimous consent request for appropriations for the settlement payments. It took months of his continual blocks before they were able to finally get something passed in the Senate that covered his objections, and then moved to the House for final passage (House did it in a couple weeks), and finally to the President for signature to be able to start distributing the money that had already been approved by earlier legislation and USDA years before.

http://www.blackfarmers.org/html/100510.html

It finally cleared the Senate in early November 2010 - https://lasentinel.net/black-farmers-finally-get-senate-action.html and cleared the House and was ready for signature by the end of November 2010 - https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/30/statement-president-house-passage-claims-settlement-act-2010

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

24. When you're a Republican you can't help but be an asshole

It's what you do.

[duforsure]

25. Its interesting

trump and the gop can pass a billionaires givaway trillions tax bill for them , but can't give a few billion for disaster aid to people in desperate need anything.

[no_hypocrisy]

26. So, by Rose's "logic", does that mean any money appropriated by taxes

for at least the near future should be dedicated to paying down the $22 trillion debt (mostly created by the Republicans) and no monies should be spent on disaster aid or anything else?