House Speaker John Boehner exploded during a press conference on Thursday, after was asked by a reporter if he was worried the Republicans would get blamed if Congress failed to pass President Obama’s request for emergency funds to handle the influx of unaccompanied minors detained at the border.
“This is a problem of the president’s own making,” Boehner yelled. “He’s been president for five and a half years. When's he going to take responsibility for something?"
Boehner reminded reporters Obama was responsible for the crisis.
“His actions gave false hope to children and their families that if they entered the country illegally they would be allowed to stay,” Boehner said.
Boehner said that the children should be taken care of and sent home.
When he was asked about Republican support for President Obama’s emergency funding to handle the influx of unaccompanied minors, he demurred.
“We’re not giving President Obama a blank check,” he said.
AS USUAL BOEHNER IS ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM THIS REALITY: IT IS HE AND HIS UNCONTROLLABLE GOP CONGRESS THAT CANNOT DO ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF THE DEMOCRATS... THEREFORE, THEY DO NOTHING UNLESS THEY ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
According to the Federal Register, there have only been 37 public laws enacted and 256 bills passed in the 112TH AND 113th Congress -- a number that virtually ensures that Boehner's two Congress' will pass the fewest number of laws of any in history. (It's hard to imagine that, in an election year, Congress is going to go on a law-passing spree.)
In July of 2013, Bob Schieffer at Face the Nation confronted Boehner with the reality.
Schieffer: “Any way you cut it, and whoever’s fault it is, you have presided over what it perhaps the least-productive and certainly one of the least popular Congresses in history. How do you feel about that?”
Boehner: “Well, Bob, we should not be judged on how many new laws we create. We ought to be judged on how many laws that we repeal. We’ve got more laws than the administration could ever enforce. And so we don’t do commemorative bills on the floor. We don’t do all that nonsense. We deal with what the American people want us to deal with. Unpopular? Yes. Why? We’re in a divided government. We’re fighting for what we believe in. Sometimes, you know, the American people don’t like this mess.”
Schieffer: “But it’s not the case, Mr. Speaker, of just passing or not passing new laws. You have a government that is in gridlock.
THE LEAST EFFECTIVE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN HISTORY?
Quite a Legacy, Mr. Boehner.