… wanted New Yorker Robert Zimmerman booted out of the DNC (PatrickMcMullan.com)
A prominent New York Democrat is bucking party lines — and angering Rep. Anthony Weiner — to side with Republican Peter King on bringing the $7.4 billion 9/11 health bill back to the floor for a vote.
Robert Zimmerman, a New York member of the Democratic National Committee, and King released a joint statement yesterday urging the House to ditch the partisan posturing on the legislation.
“Police officers, firefighters and construction workers should not be allowed to die because elected representatives are reluctant to cast a possibly difficult vote,” read the joint statement.
“It would be unconscionable not to pass lifesaving legislation when a clear majority of House members support it.”
The bill, aimed at picking up the health-care costs for relief workers sickened by World Trade Center dust, seemed destined to sail through the House, but hit a snag when Dems decided to put the bill to a two-thirds majority vote, instead of letting it pass with just a simple majority.
Under the two-thirds plan, they could stop the Republicans from tacking on amendments on hot-button issues such as immigration.
The bill died after failing to get a two-thirds majority — prompting a now infamous blowout between Weiner and King on the House floor.
Weiner accused King, a key backer of the bill, of “not doing the right thing on behalf of heroes,” and blamed him for the bill’s lack of Republican support.
But King blasted the Dems and accused them of being “petrified” of a simple majority vote, which might force them to take a stand on an unpopular issue as the November elections near.
King and Zimmerman yesterday urged Republicans to promise not to tack on unnecessary amendments if the Dems bring the bill back. But they also urged Democrats to move forward with the bill even if the GOP won’t make promises regarding amendments.
“Perhaps Representative King should spend less time whining about procedure and more time focusing on his one task — lining up GOP support,” Weiner sniped through his spokesman.
Meanwhile, a source said a fuming Weiner threatened to try to have Zimmerman ousted from the DNC, but backed down after other members of his party talked him out of it.