David Obey Accused of Pushing Maxine Waters

by Stephan Tawney on June 25, 2009

Rep. David Obey (D-Wis) allegedly pushed Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) during an altercation on the floor of the House of Representatives, The Hill reports. Apparently the argument was over just how much of the taxpayer’s money they should waste.

After the House floor had largely cleared following a series of votes, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) split apart from a heated conversation and began yelling at one another.

“You’re out of line,” Waters shot while walking down toward the well.

“You’re out of line,” Obey shot back before turning and walking away.

But then Obey stopped, turned back toward Waters, and shouted: “I’m not going to approve that earmark!”

Obey turned away, but Waters went to go huddle with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. She could be over heard telling them: “He touched me first.”…

Waters and Obey have had an ongoing dispute about an earmark for a public school employment training center in Los Angeles that was named after Waters when she was a state representative.

Obey rejected that earmark as violating policies against so-called “monuments to me.” Waters revised her request to go to the school district’s whole adult employment training program, so the district could decide whether the money would go to the school named after Waters.

Thursday was the committee markup of the spending bill that would include the earmark, and Obey let it be known that the earmark would be denied. She approached him and complained.

A Waters aide said that Obey had pushed her.

A spokesman for Obey claims that he tried to defuse the confrontation but, as far as I can tell, doesn’t deny Waters’ accusation that she was pushed.



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