John Boehner Lies and Blames President Obama for West Virginia Chemical Spill

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At a press conference today Speaker Boehner lied and blamed President Obama for the West Virginia chemical spill by accusing the president of not enforcing the regulations and doing his job.

Video (The West Virginia question was the last question asked):

Speaker Boehner was asked if more regulations were necessary after a chemical spill in West Virginia left 300,000 people without safe drinking water.

He answered, “The issue is this: We have enough regulations on the books. And what the administration ought to be doing is actually doing their jobs. Why wasn’t this plant inspected since 1991? I am entirely confident that there are ample regulations already on the books to protect the health and safety of the American people. Somebody ought to be held accountable here. What we try to do is look at those regulations that we think are cumbersome, are over the top, and that are costing the economy jobs. That’s where our focus continues to be.”

The Republican Party has waged a decades long war on the EPA and environmental regulations, but Speaker Boehner wants the American people to believe that the chemical spill in West Virginia was President Obama’s fault. Boehner knows full well that the company that owned the tank that ruptured, Freedom Industries, was exempt from both state and federal inspections because they don’t produce chemicals.

Instead of admitting that chemical spills like the one in West Virginia are a logical consequence of what happens when environmental regulations are repealed, Boehner lied and blamed Obama.

The truth is that the EPA could not have inspected the tank, because the tank was exempt from inspection. Republicans will never admit that their agenda of regulatory rollback is hazardous to the health of the American people. They prefer to pass the buck with nonsensical lies, and hope that the American people don’t notice the danger present in their deregulatory zeal The West Virginia chemical spill isn’t an example of presidential failure. It is a textbook demonstration of what happens when Republicans get their way, and the nation has less government regulation in critical areas.

West Virginia is the perfect example of how electing reckless Republican ideologues can literally put lives at risk.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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