House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took shots at House Republicans on Tuesday night, criticizing them for their vote on food stamp drug testing in light of Rep. Trey Radel’s (R-Fla.) cocaine possession charge.
Pelosi was the featured guest at “BuzzFeed Brews” in Washington, D.C., discussing a wide variety of topics, including the Oct. 29 sting operation that caught Radel. The Congresswoman got the niceties out of the way — “I feel very sad for his family” — before taking a dig against the Republicans.
“It’s really interesting right soon on the heels — that date — on the heels of the Republicans voting to make sure that everybody who had access to food stamps was drug tested,” she told the audience. “It’s just — it’s like, ‘What?'”
She added that she hoped Radel’s incident would “humanize their thinking about some subjects.”
On Sept. 19, the House passed H.R. 3102, the “Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act of 2013,” which included an amendment to allow states to conduct drug testing on food stamp applicants. Radel voted “yea” on the bill.
Pelosi said the Republican leadership would have to deal with the Florida Congressman’s mistake. She told the audience that members of Congress should be held to a higher standard than the general public.
After the news of Radel’s misdemeanor charge broke on Tuesday, the Congressman apologized in a statement.
“I’m profoundly sorry to let down my family, particularly my wife and son, and the people of Southwest Florida,” Radel said in the statement. “I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them.”
Watch part of Pelosi’s remarks below:
