Lawmaker: Tea Party slowed up Sandy vote on purpose

>>> this is a total, total disaster in helping most people that we are saying today we are helping them. isn't that wonderful? what is our jobs? we are not doing anybody any favors. that is why we were sent here. try it once in a while , democracy. you may like it.

>> he looked like he was a few seconds from cussing. one of several northeast lawmakers who took to the house floor this past week to express outrage over the handling of financial aid for sandy victims. although about $9 billion was released a vote for another 50 billion is set off until next week. the white house has just released a picture of the president signing the first bill into law earlier today. joining me now new jersey democratic congressman whose district includes long branch, union beach . good to have you. you said you are not satisfied by the process here even though that a vote has been set. are you convinced that vote will happen on the 15th or do you think it will take longer?

>> i am not convinced it will happen on the 15th. we have to get the senate to pass the total package and the vote on the 15th is being divided into two different amendments. we have major hurdles here and the result is more delay. more delay means that the shore doesn't get rebuilt fast enough.

>> what do you think is happening?

>> i think it is the right wing. we call them tea party republicans and speaker boehner said you are voting for me for speaker the next day so we are not bringing it up until after it is over with. we missed the opportunity when the senate had passed the bill to pass it in the house and get it signed by the president and start the rebuilding process at the shore.

>> governor christie made headlines and he has indicated that he thinks there is a bias at work here, bias against the northeast. this is just a snippet of what he said.

>> americans are tired of the political partisanship of this congress which places one upsmanship ahead of the lives of these citizens who sent these people to washington, d.c. in the first place. new jerseyens and new yorkers are tired of being treated as second class citizens.

>> do you think there is a bias?

>> absolutely. the tea party people are mostly from the south and the west. if this had been alabama or louisiana or kansas they wouldn't have held this up. they would have had the vote.

>> guns will be back in the news tomorrow when james holmes , the man accused of the shooting massacre in colorado. he will go to court tomorrow. we know much will be focused on the national debt and the fight over raising the limit of the debt ceiling. do you think we get to gun control , as well?

>> i think we should. whether we do or not is anybody's guess. i admire that the president is trying to move forward on an agenda to deal with gun control . we have to address it.

>> as the tragedy in newtown becomes more of a distant memory, what does that do to the political feasibility of something like what we are talking about?

>> i do fear people start to forget. i think the president is determined and i know that the democratic leaders in the house are determined to bring it up. we are going to move forward and hopefully we can get action on gun control .

>> there is word that you are considering a run if frank does not run. you appear to have a pretty good relationship with the senator. have you talked to him about it?

>> the senator knows that i would like to run. and i, of course, have been talking about this for a long time t. is definitely something that i am considering and i am interested in.

>> there is another guy who expressed interest, his name is corey booker, widely popular. do you think you could beat corey booker in a primary fight?

>> let's wait and see what develops with corey .

>> he has already said he is all in.

>> we have to concentrate on getting these bills passed like the sandy relief bill. i think we should be worrying about the senate race a little later if that is all right.

>> you are not going to answer the question?

>> no.

>> so you don't think you can beat him?

>> i'm not saying i can't beat him. we need to concentrate on getting these bills passed in washington and deal with the senate race later.

>> new jersey democratic congressman with a nice dance on this