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Disaster aid stalls again in House after second Republican objects
By Jeff Stein
May 28 at 12:04 PM PT
Days after Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) single-handedly blocked passage of a disaster aid package, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) blocked a second effort to pass the bill on May 28. (C-SPAN)
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) objected to a $19.1 billion disaster aid package on Tuesday, derailing House leaders’ bid to send federal support to victims of natural disasters.
Massie joins Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), who was the lone representative to object Friday when House leaders made their first attempt at passing the measure. Massie and Roy both said they objected because of the impact of the aid in increasing the national debt, and because lawmakers left out the funding President Trump had requested for operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Despite the lack of border funding, Trump said the Senate had his support when it overwhelmingly voted to advance the measure Thursday. The Senate vote came after months of gridlock, in which lawmakers and Trump fought over funding for Puerto Rico and other issues.
The objections to the disaster aid bill further delays legislation that would send assistance to victims of Western wildfires, Midwestern flooding and hurricanes that hit the Southeast and Puerto Rico, as well as to other disaster-affected areas of the country.
House lawmakers left Washington last week, but leaders tried to pass the bill by “unanimous consent,” a maneuver that allows for quick passage of legislation with only a few members present. A single objection is enough to block a bill from passing by unanimous consent.
Massie called it “legislative malpractice” to pass the legislation without a full vote of the House, and he faulted Democrats for having sent members home for the Memorial Day break.
If Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “considered this must-pass legislation, why did she send everyone on recess?” Massie said Tuesday.
House lawmakers began leaving town last week before the Senate announced a bipartisan deal to move the measure.
The full House is not scheduled to return to Washington until June 3.
Massie said he had not been in contact with either the White House or Republican leadership about his opposition to the legislation. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), another House conservative, was also in the chamber on Tuesday. Massie said Mooney would have blocked the legislation had Massie not done so.
“If there’s an organized effort here, I’m not aware of it,” Massie said. “I’m acting on my own.”
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) said House leaders plan for a third time to bring up the disaster bill on Thursday. Massie said he was not sure yet if he or another member would show up then to defeat the legislation.
Jeff Stein is a policy reporter for The Washington Post. He was a crime reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and, in 2014, founded the local news nonprofit the Ithaca Voice in Upstate New York. He was also a reporter for Vox.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
Disaster aid stalls again in House after second Republican objects
By Jeff Stein
May 28 at 12:04 PM PT
Days after Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) single-handedly blocked passage of a disaster aid package, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) blocked a second effort to pass the bill on May 28. (C-SPAN)
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) objected to a $19.1 billion disaster aid package on Tuesday, derailing House leaders’ bid to send federal support to victims of natural disasters.
Massie joins Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.), who was the lone representative to object Friday when House leaders made their first attempt at passing the measure. Massie and Roy both said they objected because of the impact of the aid in increasing the national debt, and because lawmakers left out the funding President Trump had requested for operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Despite the lack of border funding, Trump said the Senate had his support when it overwhelmingly voted to advance the measure Thursday. The Senate vote came after months of gridlock, in which lawmakers and Trump fought over funding for Puerto Rico and other issues.
The objections to the disaster aid bill further delays legislation that would send assistance to victims of Western wildfires, Midwestern flooding and hurricanes that hit the Southeast and Puerto Rico, as well as to other disaster-affected areas of the country.
House lawmakers left Washington last week, but leaders tried to pass the bill by “unanimous consent,” a maneuver that allows for quick passage of legislation with only a few members present. A single objection is enough to block a bill from passing by unanimous consent.
Massie called it “legislative malpractice” to pass the legislation without a full vote of the House, and he faulted Democrats for having sent members home for the Memorial Day break.
If Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “considered this must-pass legislation, why did she send everyone on recess?” Massie said Tuesday.
House lawmakers began leaving town last week before the Senate announced a bipartisan deal to move the measure.
The full House is not scheduled to return to Washington until June 3.
Massie said he had not been in contact with either the White House or Republican leadership about his opposition to the legislation. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), another House conservative, was also in the chamber on Tuesday. Massie said Mooney would have blocked the legislation had Massie not done so.
“If there’s an organized effort here, I’m not aware of it,” Massie said. “I’m acting on my own.”
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) said House leaders plan for a third time to bring up the disaster bill on Thursday. Massie said he was not sure yet if he or another member would show up then to defeat the legislation.
Jeff Stein is a policy reporter for The Washington Post. He was a crime reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and, in 2014, founded the local news nonprofit the Ithaca Voice in Upstate New York. He was also a reporter for Vox.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
