Boehner: Vacation is all he’s ever wanted

>>> if house speaker john boehner isn't the world's greatest boss, i don't know who is. first he started the week with a day off on monday. now he's letting his colleagues off the whole of next week as well. the ninth recess the house has had so far this year. of course, there are some people like democratic leader nancy pelosi who think that's too many. in a letter to speaker boehner , she warns that congress has lots of unfinished business . that's what we're about now with representative johnson who joins us from washington. good afternoon.

>> good afternoon. thank you for having me.

>> you've scored another big vacation from speaker boehner . well done. don't you think nancy pelosi is being a bit of a kill joy when she says congress should get back to work? why not go to the golf course like speaker bainer?

>> i think the majority of the people here were the democrats and republicans feel that we need to stay here and get some work done. we have to do to do to be off every other week. we've got to do something. the b the big problems we have on the table. we have not created jobs. they have member of opportunities. they're not doing it. there's the transportation bill , that's being stuck. there it's the student loan package that has not been dealt with. come july 1st , the rates are subject to double. it is unbelievable that we're getting vacations when we should be here working. yet speaker boehner and mitch mcconnell are claiming the president is to blame for a resolution on the student loans issue even though the president has repeatedly offered a solution to them.

>> the president has. and it is up to the congress to pass these laws. if the president had his way over here, we'd have a lot of things done that are not done now. it is not the president. it is the congress. and we must take the leadership. we must be the ones to pass the laws. it does not rest with the president.

>> one of the contrasts and you know this personally because you rep the constituency in texas, nothing happens in washington and yet when it come to rick perry , he is very, very good at rejecting federal funding because he doesn't support planned parenthood . so that i think around 130,000 women in texas won't have essential medical preventive services. is that right?

>> that is exactly right. he continues to puzzle me. he is the first one to say he's rejected funds and the first state to apply for every possible federal dollar that we can get. he joined a group of other governors to file a suit against the affordable, and let me assure you he was the first state to apply for the funds for the planning funds to implement it. so i have a hard time understanding some of these people. and especially my governor. because i knew him when he was much better at speaking what is true and what his real heart says. i don't know him anymore. it is the same way i feel about this speaker here. he was a very reasonable person until he became speaker. it is unbelievable what's happened here. the new people have come in. they cannot get together on their side. the republicans versus republicans. and they blame everybody but themselves.

>> mitt romney was speaking about two hours ago and he said that the fact there is so much poverty is a moral failing by the president. is it not a moral failing by a governor to remove the provision of health care for hundreds, over 100,000 women poor income women, poorly because he says that planned parenthood provides terminations to women who need them.

>> you know, planned parenthood , not an insurance plan, can force any woman to have an abortion. it is a choice. a personal choice . it is not a choice that i should have. it is not a choice that any governor should have. it is a personal choice . it is not our business. we are the people who set policy. we don't set personal lives. we should not be in the midst of people as personal lives. it is ironic and i'm very, very sorry that the catholic church has come out so strongly, rejecting this. it has nothing to do with the church. it has to do with an individual person and her health insurance . it has nothing to do with the church. if it had to do with the church, i would be right along lock step with the church. but it does not. our constitution guarantees us this right in our country and i don't think any governor or priest or anyone else should have the final say on what happens between an individual adult person and her insurance company .

>> representative eddie bernice johnson , thank you so much for joining us. and i hope you have a very nice week's vacation care of speaker boehner next week.

>> thank you. i'll be homeworking.