Oil spill visits get partisan Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) wanted to fly 10 lawmakers down to the Gulf of Mexico to see the damage caused by BP’s gigantic oil spill first hand. House Democrats said no. Scalise’s trip was rejected for a variety of bureaucratic and logistical reasons, but it has also opened a new vein of partisan squabbling over who should be allowed to arrange a trip to view the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Republicans want to be able to take trips using their office spending allowance. But Democrats have heard from the Department of Homeland Security, which has asked that Congress organize trips through committees of jurisdiction, to avoid having to cater to a ton of individual lawmakers in a disaster zone, Democratic aides say. GOP leaders say they’ve heard nothing of this. The squabbling over who gets to travel to the Gulf on whose dime is the latest sign that congressional oversight of the oil spill oversight from Capitol Hill has been bogged down by partisanship. Congress has held upwards of 20 hearings on the disaster, often duplicative ones each week, as lawmakers struggle to grasp and fully realize the scope of BP’s giant oil spill. Scalise, who has already been to the Gulf on another codel, wants to organize a trip so lawmakers can fully grasp the impact before they vote on oil drilling regulations. And he doesn't want to do it through a committee, because the members don't fit neatly into specific panels — they stretch across committee, and even partisan, lines. About two weeks ago, Scalise requested to be able to use his Members Representational Allowance – a fund typically reserved for office expenses and travel back to the district – to go to the Gulf with a group of about 10 other lawmakers. He sought permission from the House Administration committee, which regulates office account spending and would have to approve the trip. After a few weeks, Scalise was ping-ponged between several committees. Eventually, John Lawrence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) chief of staff, told Scalise’s chief that “it was unlikely that the request would be granted” by the House Administration Committee. Republicans, however, say Rep. Bob Brady (D-Pa.), who chairs the committee, has approved at least a dozen such trips in 2009 alone – something Democrats don’t deny. “Unless there is some extraordinary reason to prohibit this trip – which has yet to be communicated to us – this is an unacceptable departure from past practices,” said Rep, Dan Lungren of California, the top Republican on the administration committee. “This is an educational trip for members using their own representational budgets to see, first-hand, the devastating impact of the Gulf spill. Our travel regulations permit this type of travel in support of our official representational duties, and unfortunately, this disaster is already having environmental and economical implications for the entire country – not just those districts represented by Members sitting on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.” Republicans say that Democrats are just trying to shield lawmakers from going to see the damage in the Gulf. “Every Member should see the result of eight years of failed Bush-Cheney energy policies that have done nothing to secure our energy future,” said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. So for now, the Scalise visit remains unscheduled.
If you think the oil spill has only gotten partisan based on this issue, you haven't been watching Fox or listening to any right wing radio. It has been partisan pretty much from day one on the GOP side.
Funny because I don't remember any of you progressive libs complaining when it was coming from the left when Katrina hit New Orleans. All I can remember is that attacks, race talk, hatred, non stop news coverage about "why is more being done?".... 70 days in to the spill and the government has been no help at all; just finger pointing, blame game and running around in circles giving pointless speeches... If GW had done this during the post Katrina days I can just imagine the reaction...
i also disliked bush energy policy but what does that have to do with a failing blowout preventor and BP safety record on this site. thank you for reminding me why i hate politicians.
Fox blamed Clinton for the oil spill recently. There's a great video clip related to this from The Daily Show last night that I'd post, but it's all blocked at work. Republicans pointing at the left blaming them for blaming the Bush administration while they themselves were pointing at Clinton and blaming him during the Bush administration is stupid and hypocritical. You can act like your s&%t doesn't stink, but trust, it does. Everyone's does.
Where's the media outrage? This is pretty confusing (well, dumb), really. Pelosi says everyone should go see for themselves. The Democrats want to pass legislation to increase regulations on oil drilling, for which a survey of the devestation can only help. And then, when an opportunity to visit presents itself, they make up excuses to not go? Isn't this counterproductive?
If anybody wants a logical reason why the Dems don't want the Repubs planning the trip, it is because the Repubs would be planning a trip. First stop - the house of an oil rig worker out of work because he can't drill new wells anymore because of the evil Federal government. Second stop, the fourth home of Tony Hayward, where he is desperately trying to sell his fifth yacht to make ends meet. Poor Tony. Etc. Etc. I wouldn't want someone who shares ideology with Joe Barton showing me around the spill, either. Admiral Ackbar would have enough sense to avoid walking into that trap.
You quoted me and somehow have me confused with a "progressive lib." To answer your deflection of my comment, I believe there were failures at the local, state, and federal level with regards to Katrina. The specifics about who was at fault for which part of that disaster is fodder for another thread. Below I have copied statistics that were posted in the "Deepwater Horizon" thread. I wish you had chosen to participate in that thread instead of posting an accusation as a title even though this article clearly belongs in that thread. From the statistics below, how many of the 42,000 people working on this spill do you think are directed by the government in some way? How many of the 6850 vessels are somehow linked to the government or government funds? How do the statistics line up with your accusation of "no help at all" when the ones running around playing the blame game are mostly paid or influenced by Fox "News?" BP is to blame and everyone but crazed right wingers get that. More deflection, transparent and worthy.
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After Katrina there were all kinds of things government could do for people, and in fact, had plans and resources in place to do. Only BP can drill a relief well. Blaming Obama is just blathering bull sh**. The Bush administration spent 8 years systematically reducing government controls and replacing the government bureaucracy with handpicked pro-business nonregulators setting themselves up for future private side positions. You don't just revamp 5,000 positions in 18 months.
It passed the House. It's the Senate where the GOP objected. I don't know if it passed there or has been held up (there are all sorts of quirks there how a few Senators can hold bills up or kill them or whatnot).