Cruz vaporizes dishonest slime from establishment toad Peter King

[libertybele]

Cruz vaporizes dishonest slime from establishment toad Peter King

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, responded Monday to a dishonest attack from Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., over Cruz’s previous vote regarding Hurricane Sandy – a relief package Cruz says was full of unrelated pork spending.

On Saturday, Rep. King took shots at Cruz, lording the fact he would vote for emergency funds for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.....

Cruz initially dismissed King’s sneering tweets.

“They’ll be plenty of time for politics and I’m not going to worry about political sniping,” Cruz said. “My focus here is on the tragedy that is unfolding, on the people whose lives are in jeopardy, and the people who need help.”

“The silliness of Washington can wait for another time,” he added....

....But the CNBC reporter pushed Cruz on whether he regretted his vote, asking if he had gained a “new perspective.”

“No, of course not,” Cruz replied. “As I said at the time, hurricane funding is a very important federal responsibility and I would have eagerly supported funding for that. But I didn’t think it was appropriate to engage in pork-barrel spending where two-thirds of that bill was unrelated spending that had nothing to do with Sandy and was simply politicians wasting money.”

“That shouldn’t happen,” Cruz said. “The focus of emergency relief shouldn’t be cynical politicians trying to fund their pet projects. It should be providing relief to people in crisis.”

https://www.conservativereview.com/articles/cruz-vaporizes-dishonest-slime-from-establishment-toad-peter-king

[TomSea]

 

Cruz had better be right but if he is not, this is an irresponsible smear from Conservative Review. There is already some indication that the bill to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy was not filled with pork as asserted.

[Emjay]

Cruz had better be right but if he is not, this is an irresponsible smear from Conservative Review. There is already some indication that the bill to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy was not filled with pork as asserted.

Don't worry about it.  If Cruz didn't know that the Sandy bill was full of pork, he wouldn't have said so.

Go take your Cruz hate somewhere else.

[Sanguine]

Don't worry about it.  If Cruz didn't know that the Sandy bill was full of pork, he wouldn't have said so.

Go take your Cruz hate somewhere else.

It's bizarre, isn't it?

[GrouchoTex]

Cruz had better be right but if he is not, this is an irresponsible smear from Conservative Review. There is already some indication that the bill to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy was not filled with pork as asserted.

Link?

[bolobaby]

Link?

He has no link. Don't ask.

[Cripplecreek]

Link?

Debbie Stabenow was trying to get money for Michigan out of the Hurricane Sandy relief funding. I also remember Chris Christie saying that money to build dunes normally didn't come from relief funds but would ask for it anyway.

[RoosGirl]

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/12/19/Congress-Piles-the-Pork-into-Hurricane-Sandy-Relief

According to an analysis by Ellis, the Sandy emergency spending package includes $150 million for fishery disaster areas in Mississippi and Alaska; $20,000 for a new car for the Inspector General of the Justice Department; $10.8 billion for the Federal Transportation Administration; and cancellation of loans related to Hurricane Katrina. It also contains $4 million for repairs at the Kennedy Space Center and $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

Every disaster is an opportunity to lard a relief bill with pork.  According to Citizens Against Government Waste, hurricane Katrina was also a golden opportunity to do an end-run around appropriations.
• $33.2 million for eight projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Harry Reid (D-Nev.), including: $25 million for rural Nevada; $1.5 million for Truckee Meadows; and $725,000 for Tahoe Regional Planning
 
• $16.8 million for seven projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee member Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), including: $2.5 million for the Greenbrier River Basin; $325,000 for the Parkersburg and Vienna Riverfront Park; and $150,000 for Island Creek at Logan

• $12.9 million for 11 projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), including: $5 million for central New Mexico; $250,000 for Santa Fe; and $180,000 for the Southwest Valley, Albuquerque


@TomSea You're welcome.

[GrouchoTex]

Cruz had better be right but if he is not, this is an irresponsible smear from Conservative Review. There is already some indication that the bill to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy was not filled with pork as asserted.

Not true, and proven in this thread.

[TomSea]

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/12/19/Congress-Piles-the-Pork-into-Hurricane-Sandy-Relief

According to an analysis by Ellis, the Sandy emergency spending package includes $150 million for fishery disaster areas in Mississippi and Alaska; $20,000 for a new car for the Inspector General of the Justice Department; $10.8 billion for the Federal Transportation Administration; and cancellation of loans related to Hurricane Katrina. It also contains $4 million for repairs at the Kennedy Space Center and $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

Every disaster is an opportunity to lard a relief bill with pork.  According to Citizens Against Government Waste, hurricane Katrina was also a golden opportunity to do an end-run around appropriations.
• $33.2 million for eight projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Harry Reid (D-Nev.), including: $25 million for rural Nevada; $1.5 million for Truckee Meadows; and $725,000 for Tahoe Regional Planning
 
• $16.8 million for seven projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee member Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), including: $2.5 million for the Greenbrier River Basin; $325,000 for the Parkersburg and Vienna Riverfront Park; and $150,000 for Island Creek at Logan

• $12.9 million for 11 projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), including: $5 million for central New Mexico; $250,000 for Santa Fe; and $180,000 for the Southwest Valley, Albuquerque


@TomSea You're welcome.

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/27/ted-cruz-demands-federal-money-texas-floods-blocking-hurricane-sandy-relief.html  This article calls into the question the Financial Times article, I don't think that's the last word on this matter.

Cruz’s claim that the Sandy relief bill was wasteful was debunked by PolitiFact, “A big portion of the $17 billion in “immediate” assistance, more than $5 billion, went to replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund, which may fund relief from future disasters.” PolitiFact also disagrees with some of the math Cruz repeated, “On Jan. 28, it passed H.R. 152, a separate $50.5 billion package. Of that $50.5 billion, $17 billion went toward immediate Sandy aid, while $33.5 billion was for “near- and long-term assistance and mitigation,” according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis.”

https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/152

@RoosGirl You are welcome.

[TomSea]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/fact-check-ted-cruzs-claim-that-two-thirds-of-the-hurricane-sandy-bill-had-nothing-to-do-with-sandy/2017/08/29/37bca43e-8c4a-11e7-9c53-6a169beb0953_video.html?utm_term=.77327225fae0

Fact Check: Ted Cruz's claim that two-thirds of the Hurricane Sandy bill 'had nothing to do with Sandy'
The Texas senator repeats myths about the funding for Sandy relief, which led him to oppose the 2013 bill.
August 28, 2017 | 6:37 PM EDT

The Senator's assertions may well be wrong and be the result of misunderstanding.  Rated false.

@RoosGirl

[libertybele]

The Senator's assertions may well be wrong and be the result of misunderstanding.  Rated false.

@RoosGirl

It would be advantageous to actually go through and read the bills rather than rely on newspaper articles.  Since there was more than one bill  that was proposed in relation to Hurricane Sandy allocating various amounts of monies and additional monies, I didn't go through each one of them -- I'll leave that up to you TomSea to do your own research. One bill allowed the National Flood Insurance Program (that was/is financially strapped) to borrow money.  It provided another $17 billion to the existing $9.7 billion authorized and in addition it seems there was an amendment or amendments.  The total amount was appx. $60 billion.  These bills provided funding for various different government entities as well as appropriating money for projects such as  the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve severe weather forecasts and warnings.  If you will note there are several areas that the bill specifically calls to limit funding for future building (not related to actual damage) and the bill also allocates monies for things like domestic violence, education for dislocated workers, etc.

In briefly reading the synopsis of the bill as provided by Wikipedia (again, I did not go through and read each bill), I couldn't help but wonder how much of the infrastructure was in disrepair to begin with and how many of these government programs were in dire straits to begin with due to the mismanagement of funds by New York, New Jersey and other areas affected. 

I believe Cruz that there was a lot of 'pork' in the bill, especially since Chuckie Schumer was involved and knowing the corruption in New York City and New Jersey!

I don't think anyone would vote to deny monies for disaster relief, but when monies are used to fund things such as oceanic research that should go for disaster relief it becomes ridiculous.  Oceanic research isn't going to help the victims of the disaster seeking relief, it isn't going to rebuild buildings, or repair highways.  It's a research program studying mother nature.  You cannot and will not change mother nature and you certainly aren't going to prevent natural disasters from occurring!  So TomSea, explain to me, why this money allocated in the budget for oceanic research was necessary to help John and Jane Doe who lost their business or for repairing highways?  The monies allocated should have been ONLY related to rebuilding infrastructure and helping the city and people get back on their feet, not for bogus pork projects so that government and city officials and Chuckie can line their pockets and the pockets of their cronies. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster_Relief_Appropriations_Act,_2013

[Rivergirl]

Having endured Sandy and living without power for two long weeks, I can assure you that the bill for emergency relief was loaded down with more pork than Sandy relief.  Reading the various requests for funding it was clear that opportunism reared it's ugly head at the expense of those in the midst of the devastation

[Applewood]

As far as I can tell, money went to various agencies.  The trouble is that there are no procedural rules for these agencies to follow with regard to spending the money.  So we have no way of knowing how much of the money received went to actual disaster relief and how much was spent refurbishing the department chairman's office or to finance a "seminar" in Tahiti, or just deposited into some executives' ban accounts.

[txradioguy]

He has no link. Don't ask.

Tom also has no clue most of the time. He's one of those that is triggered by the name Ted Cruz.

[txradioguy]

The Senator's assertions may well be wrong and be the result of misunderstanding.  Rated false.

@RoosGirl

So now you think the Post is truthful?

[txradioguy]

*cough*

The pork-barrel feast includes more than $8 million to buy cars and equipment for the Homeland Security and Justice departments. It also includes a whopping $150 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to dole out to fisheries in Alaska and $2 million for the Smithsonian Institution to repair museum roofs in DC.

An eye-popping $13 billion would go to “mitigation” projects to prepare for future storms.

Other big-ticket items in the bill include $207 million for the VA Manhattan Medical Center; $41 million to fix up eight military bases along the storm’s path, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; $4 million for repairs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida; $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center and $1.1 million to repair national cemeteries.

Budget watchdogs have dubbed the 94-page emergency-spending bill “Sandy Scam.”

Matt Mayer of the conservative Heritage Foundation slammed the request as an “enormous Christmas gift worth of stuff.”

“The funding here should be focused on helping the community and the people, not replacing federal assets or federal items,” he said.

Republican lawmakers say the lack of details and justifications for the spending will delay approval until after Christmas, while they analyze and document what spending is “appropriate.”

“To throw out a number this large without in-depth analysis and formal request detailing the basis for it I think is premature and I wouldn’t support that,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

http://nypost.com/2012/12/15/obama-sandy-aid-bill-filled-with-holiday-goodies-unrelated-to-storm-damage/


@RoosGirl so much for that assertion that the Sandy relief bill being filled with pork was "mostly false".

This vindicates you as well as what Senator Cruz said.

[skeeter]

It would be advantageous to actually go through and read the bills rather than rely on newspaper articles. 

And run the risk of having to question his most cherished conviction?

[RoosGirl]

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/05/27/ted-cruz-demands-federal-money-texas-floods-blocking-hurricane-sandy-relief.html  This article calls into the question the Financial Times article, I don't think that's the last word on this matter.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/152

@RoosGirl You are welcome.

From the text of that bill:

CHAPTER 2

                         DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

             National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

                  operations, research, and facilities

    For an additional amount for ``Operations, Research, and
Facilities'', $290,000,000 (reduced by $150,000,000) to remain available
until September 30, 2014, as follows:
(4) $25,000,000 to improve weather forecasting and hurricane
        intensity forecasting capabilities, to include data assimilation
        from ocean observing platforms and satellites;
            (5) $50,000,000 for laboratories and cooperative institutes
        research activities associated with sustained observations
        weather research programs, and ocean and coastal research;

For an additional amount for ``Procurement, Acquisition and
Construction'', $186,000,000, to remain available until September 30,
2015, as follows:

(2) $44,500,000 for repairs and upgrades to NOAA hurricane
        reconnaissance aircraft;
            (3) $8,500,000 for improvements to weather forecasting
        equipment and supercomputer infrastructure;
            (4) $13,000,000 to accelerate the National Weather Service
        ground readiness project; and
            (5) $111,000,000 for a weather satellite data mitigation gap
        reserve fund:

For an additional amount for ``Community Development Fund'',
$16,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2017, for
necessary expenses related to disaster relief, long-term recovery,
restoration of infrastructure and housing, and economic revitalization
in the most impacted and distressed areas resulting from a major
disaster declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) due to Hurricane Sandy
and other eligible events in calendar years 2011, 2012, and 2013, for
activities authorized under title I of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974

Most sections are explicitly called at as for use for damage directly related to Hurricane Sandy, but there are some areas, that include allocation of a lot of money, that aren't directly spelled out for relief from Hurricane Sandy.

[Leto]

The Senator's assertions may well be wrong and be the result of misunderstanding.  Rated false.

@RoosGirl

The WaPo disputes Ted Cruz, shocker I tell ya!

Perhaps you can see what the Huff PO thinks, or maybe where ANTIFA stands. 

[corbe]

    Just goes to show you that had Cruz been Elected, the MSM would have trashed him also, wonder if he would have focused so much on 'that' in his first 8 months?


    * have to bump a Cruz Thread, that's just who I am.

[libertybele]

    Just goes to show you that had Cruz been Elected, the MSM would have trashed him also, wonder if he would have focused so much on 'that' in his first 8 months?


    * have to bump a Cruz Thread, that's just who I am.

I believe that it wouldn't have mattered who won on the GOP side, the shock that their beloved 'Your Thighness' didn't win has made every member of the GOP a target to trash and ridicule; only the top echelon of the RINO's seem to be escaping ridicule with the 'Turtle' and the 'Weasel' (you know Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb) leading the way! For the DEMS (King) and the MSM to even bring this up during one of the nation's worst disasters in history shows how truly despicable they are.

[Smokin Joe]

I believe that it wouldn't have mattered who won on the GOP side, the shock that their beloved 'Your Thighness' didn't win has made every member of the GOP a target to trash and ridicule; only the top echelon of the RINO's seem to be escaping ridicule with the 'Turtle' and the 'Weasel' (you know Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb) leading the way! For the DEMS (King) and the MSM to even bring this up during one of the nation's worst disasters in history shows how truly despicable they are.

I believe you are correct. The only GOP'ers who might not have been submitted to the full court vitriol of the MSM are those who are practically Democrats and didn't make it through the first couple of primaries.
Chances are they would not have beaten Hillary, either.