Anthony Weiner Goes Ballistic At GOP

House Republicans late Thursday were able to corral enough votes to defeat a bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid to those sickened by toxins resulting from the 9/11 attacks.

In the process, they set off a host of fiery speeches and denunciations from their Democratic colleagues and produced a veritable YouTube moment from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y), whose district includes many of the affected.


Link to video.

At the heart of the debate was a procedural maneuver made by Democrats to suspend the rules before consideration of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The move allowed leadership to block potential GOP amendments to the measure (there was worry that Republicans would attach something overtly partisan in hopes that it could pass on the otherwise widely-popular measure). It also meant that the party needed a two-thirds majority vote.

When the final tally was announced, there were 255 representatives for the measure, 159 against. The defeat of the bill, which would have provided free health care to those affected during the 9/11 rescue and recovery, likely means that the court system will have to settle compensation issues.

Weiner spoke right before the vote when it was clear that Republican lawmakers would stake their opposition on grounds of procedural concerns. But for the grace of the C-SPAN cameras, he managed to stay physically behind his lectern.

"The gentleman will sit!" he declared at one point, addressing, it is believed, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). "The gentleman is correct in sitting!"

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New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner is plainly fired up and ready to go. In a losing battle to secure passage of a bill to fund health care and compensation for ill 9/11 rescue workers, he unleashed a tirade against what he called unprincipled GOP opponents of the measure. Watch his outburst, which concluded in him smashing down the House rostrum microphone:

The House voted down the bill, which would have provided $3.2 billion over the next 10 years to fund free health care for 9/11 rescue and recovery workers who have fallen ill from toxic smoke and debris they breathed at the World Trade Center site. The bill would have also provided $4.2 billion in compensation over that same span. The legislation proposed to pay for the benefits by closing a tax loophole on foreign subsidiaries that do business in the United States.


The House Democratic leadership employed an arcane procedural maneuver to suspend the rules before consideration of the bill (titled the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act). Democrats reportedly used the gambit to prevent House Republicans from swamping the otherwise popular measure with what Democrats called excessively partisan amendments. But in order for the bill to pass in this form, it needed a two-thirds majority. The final tally was 255 for it (12 of them Republicans), and 159 against (four of them Democrats).


Some GOP opponents painted it as a "slush fund" for New York that the rest of America would be forced to fund through tax increases. In response to the measure's defeat, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg blasted both sides of the aisle.

"It was wrong for the overwhelming majority of Republicans to vote against the bill, and it was wrong for Democrats to bring the bill to the floor under rules that made passage so much more difficult," he said.

The Washington Post's Greg Sargent concurred, citing Democratic incompetence and Republican political chicanery as the principal reasons for the defeat. Sargent wrote that the Republicans are trying to "render government ineffective in order to deny Dems victories, create a sense that government is broken and has failed to deliver, stoke anti-incumbent fervor, and ensure that Dems bear the brunt of blame for government dysfunction." He adds, "Dems need to stop responding superficially to Republican opposition, and tailor their response to the GOP's underlying strategy."

Meanwhile, Weiner is still talking, going on Fox News Friday morning to blast his Republican colleagues in a debate with GOP Rep. Peter King (a sponsor of the bill, who harshly criticized Democrats' decision to go for a two-thirds majority).

"You know, this is not something that got rushed through, this is nine years in the making," Weiner said. "This is doing the right thing, and we should have passed this bill overwhelmingly without any controversy at all. But unfortunately, the party of 'no' hit a new low last night."

The bill's defeat now means that ill 9/11 rescue and recovery workers and their families will have to seek recourse through the U.S. court system for their medical expenses.

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"The gentleman will sit!" he declared at one point, addressing, it is believed, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). "The gentleman is correct in sitting!"

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Patroklos said:

Either way, 7.4 BILLION? For a couple thousand people at most? What the hell are they buying?

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Fr8monkey said:

I hope democrats with a spine is contagious... we need more of them! Good job, Anthony!

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Merkinball said:

Why am I not surprised that the Huffington Post and the mainstream press would ignore and omit the fact that the Democrats are trying to piggyback an immigration reform amendment while at the same time vilifying Republicans.

So a group of tawdry Democrats get together and decide to piggyback an immigration reform amendment to a 9/11 first responders bill, thinking that there's no way Republicans will vote know, and knowing that if they do they can turn it into a circus, and somehow, some way, you guys turn around and say the Republicans are the bad guys here?

Got it.

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useless said:

"Democrats, Liberals! Liberals!" Just as much villifying is directed at Democrats than at the Republicans, if not more as of late. Barely anyone calls out the Republicans on their crap.

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Patroklos said:

Either way, 7.4 BILLION? For a couple thousand people at most? What the hell are they buying?

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Patroklos said:

Why are the feds paying for the healthcare of these people? Is this normal I got ya, but I wasn't aware that it was for previous disasters. Did it happen for the original WTC bombings?

Either way, 7.4 BILLION? For a couple thousand people at most? What the hell are they buying? I sympahtize with the needs of these people, injured in participation in event covered under scope of federal goverment I can see the line between covering costs from the attack, but I am tired of people using their participation in these events via their official capacity (police, firefighters) as a pretext to demand lifetime care.

This goes for my fellow military members too. The fact that you served and are after the fact homeless is utterly irrelevant. I mention that because it often comes up,

In any case, this is clearly the fault of the Democrats. They tired to be underhanded and what should have happened because of that did. If anyone failed these rescue workers, its the Democrats who decided politicing was more important than just passing the bill.

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Domination3000 said:

To the bold- I agree, unless they're problem is caused BECAUSE THEY FOUGHT, such as an injury, in which case, they do need help.

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