Some help on the way for Sandy victims

>>> they've been suffering. they have suffered long enough. they need to hear from their government.

>> more than two months after sandy hit the east coast , some help is now on the way. today congress approved a $9.7 billion measure to keep the national flood insurance program solvent. that's for the whole country. the program would have otherwise run out of money next week after paying out thousands of insurance claims with thousands more to go. the vote helped john boehner avoid a bigger political disaster. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle attack the speaker for pulling a larger disaster relief package from consideration earlier this week. today's measure passed by the house by a wide margin of 354-67. all 67 no votes came from republicans. congressman tim huelskamp came on the radio and questioned whether sandy relief is really necessary.

>> it's certainly loaded up with pork. it's my understanding that fema, which is spending the money, has billions of dollars right now. they can't spend it all quick enough. and for some reason, this administration and the republicans in the house and the senate decide we're going to start spending more money. i mean, they can't spend it quick enough. and it reminds me of the stimulus package .

>> yet huelskamp had no problem supporting relief in august affected by the drought. marsha blackburn , another no vote was quick to lobby for federal disaster relief after storms went right through her district in tennessee. steve palazzo of mississippi represents a district that suffered extensive damage from hurricane katrina . yet today palazzo voted no to help the victims of hurricane sandy. when severe flooding damaged paul ryan 's district in wisconsin, ryan made sure his constituents got government help. his quote was i have been inspired by the support and cam passion demonstrated by wisconsinites who have reached out to help their neighbors in need. he said at this the time. today ryan made no mention of compassion, noting it would be irresponsible to raise an insolvent program's debt ceiling without making necessary reforms. and of course he voted no. joining me tonight, "daly show" co-creator lizz winstead . i guess there are no boundaries when it comes to politics in this country. great to have you with us tonight, lizz.

>> thanks, ed.

>> what do you make of all of this?

>> living here, and also when the -- when the tornadoes hit in minneapolis, i was there helping those folks too with a fantastic mayor r.t. ryeback. so watching this hit my neighborhood and going to redhook and seeing how people couldn't access a lot of these people. it was really hard. and helping people clean out their homes after that and talking to strangers, because you would go in groups. you were assigned by these fabulous people who were coordinating in redhook because there wasn't enough money, and people just needed to get together. and you go into somebody's home, and they're holding this their children's baptism gowns and mold, and the mold is toxic, and you have to convince them to toss that out and they need to get rid of that. and you have people voting and there is too much pork in this bill there is pork in every bill. wake up. you would put people, you know, at risk and deny them what they need. and then going out to the rockaways. that was a really interesting experience. the rockaways was cut off from public transportation . and those people were stuck out there. when we went in, the one thing you needed to do when you go into a rescue relief areas, you go in with forms. and you have to ask people to fill them out to find out what they need. has someone come? has someone checked your basement? have you been drained out? has your electricity been off? and when you go into neighborhoods that are middle class , lower middle class , black and brown neighborhoods, and you go to the door, and after a year of this gop hammering of people, telling them they're takers, telling them they got gifts because they voted, and to go in there and ask them for information, when you go to their door and you're saying i need to get some information from you --

>> they're scotland yard .

>> where do you work, where do you live? they're scarred. what they hear is where do you work, where do you live? they don't know who i am. and to hear people say that these people don't deserve money, that these people aren't part of america when it's so easy for them. and paul ryan 's history of screaming about programs, and then begging for money for them. and same with eric cantor , you know, it's disgusting. this isn't the first time.

>> what is dangerous about this, if we don't fully help the victims of sandy, it sets a precedent for the next disaster.

>> that's right.

>> and of course the conversation will come again, well, look what happened? we didn't go full bore to help the sandy victims. this is just the new america. we don't help our neighbor out anymore. congressman peter king suggested earlier in the week that people in new york and new jersey should no longer give to the house gop campaign. he was hot under the collar. of course, he reversed it when he got the vote. but is there something to that? do the people really have power at this point?

>> i think they do. i first of all will not be giving to any republicans. i am going out on record right now i won't be. but i think that people need to speak up. and i think this is something that over and over and over again we need to remind ourselves. because if we say -- do what we say and we vote, congress, it's a two-term deal.

>> but you have got the club for growth was out lobbying members to vote no.

>> great.

>> their culture is now the way they operate. and they're going to stick to it. so how do we break that, when we have people that you have seen in your neighborhoods trying to put their lives back together? i mean, you're in business. you meet payroll.

>> right.

>> you do things in business. the business interruption is devastating to a lot of families. i mean people that don't have paychecks. the rent isn't going away. the property taxes aren't going away. the fixed expenses aren't going away. so what would be the best way for the government to help all of these victims in sandy, to make sure that these jobs are going to stay stable?

>> well, what i would say first off, when there is a national disaster or a tragic disaster, every person, congress person and senator who lives in those districts should have to go for a week, forgo their week and go for a week and help clean up and talk to those people, and spend time there so that they can see. and before you vote no, you have to go to those places that you're voting no against, or else you don't get a paycheck, and we know you didn't show up.

>> lizz winstead , great to have you with us, and thanks for all you're doing on this.

>>> coming up, recently retired barney frank offers to head back to the hill. and the senate gets ready to tackle filibuster reform. stay with us.