Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy derailed the already long-delayed disaster relief bill in the House Friday morning. With the Congress gone for the 10-day Memorial Day recess, the House was in a brief session to try to pass the bill under unanimous consent. Roy objected, meaning that the bill—and all of the people who've been desperate for the relief—will have to wait until next month.
Before preventing the vote, Roy told reporters that the disaster relief is not offset and that passing it is a "swampy thing to do." He said, "I think it’s in the best interest of Texas and the nation." On the floor, he argued that it should have had border funding. The bill now sits until the House gets back from recess, when it will most definitely pass.
A bit more about Roy, a former aide to Sen. Ted Cruz, which tells you a lot already: The DCCC recently noted that he melted down in a U.S. House committee hearing defending drug company profits; and he voted against a bill to undo part of the Republican tax scam that raised taxes on Gold Star families—one of the only representatives to oppose the fix.
Now Roy and his fellow asshole House Republicans will have the opportunity to harangue Donald Trump into withdrawing his agreement. Roy derailed this whole thing despite the fact that his own state, Texas, was slated to get not just the new disaster relief, but $4 billion in money already appropriated that the administration has refused to release.
Friday, May 24, 2019 · 3:33:47 PM +00:00 · Joan McCarter
House Speaker Pelosi: “House Republicans’ last-minute sabotage of an overwhelmingly bipartisan disaster relief bill is an act of staggering political cynicism. Countless American families hit by devastating natural disasters across the country will now be denied the relief they urgently need.”
There will be another pro forma session on Tuesday, May 28 in which they may try to pass it under unanimous consent again.