King Criticism of Cruz is Delusional

Congressman Peter King (R-NY) recently went took to twitter to criticize Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his so-called "Texas Cohorts" for their refusal to support a bill in late 2012 and early 2013. His claims were more sensational than accurate however.

King has often criticized conservatives who disagree with his more progressive ideology over the years. His criticisms of Ted Cruz throughout the primary for the then presidential candidates "New York values" comment about Donald Trump were seen as damaging to Cruz in King's home state of New York.

The theme of King's criticism's is that he feels Cruz is being hypocritical for supporting federal relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey and not the bloated, pork filled Sandy Bill that eventually passed through Congress.

King fails to mention 2 things. A bill that was proposed by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, (R-SC), now President Donald Trump's budget director, that would have funded a smaller emergency bill with a 1.63 percent across-the-board reduction in spending on discretionary programs was largely supported by House and Senate Republicans from Texas. At the time Mulvaney said, "It's so important to me that I think we should pay for it," King also fails to mention that in using Twitter to break former President Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment, he also engaged in behavior that he has criticized President Trump for. Using Twitter to make unforced errors.

The Sandy bill was modified to include: (via politisite.com)

•$2 million to repair damage to the roofs of museums in Washington, D.C., while many in Hurricane Sandy’s path still have no roof over their own heads.

•$150 million for fisheries as far away from the storm’s path as Alaska.

•$125 million for the Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Watershed Protection program, which helps restore watersheds damaged by wildfires and drought.

•$20 million for a nationwide Water Resources Priorities Study.

•$15 million for NASA facilities, though NASA itself has called its damage from the hurricane ‘minimal.’

•$50 million in subsidies for tree planting on private properties.

•$336 million for taxpayer-supported AMTRAK without any detailed plan for how the money will be spent.

•$5.3 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers – more than the Corps’ annual budget – with no statement of priorities about how to spend the money.

•$12.9 billion for future disaster mitigation activities and studies, without identifying a single way to pay for it.

It also included 16 Billion for the Community Development Block Grant. The CDBG is basically a slush fund that states and local governments can had out to most anywhere they choose with little to no oversight.

Based on that list, it seems Campaign Conservatives like Peter King and other progressives in the GOP seem to think that no good natural disaster should go to waste when it comes to appeasing the special interests that control them. Peter King should follow his own advice and stop tweeting.