Texas 2005 News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> chairman markey thanking mr. hayward for setting up the fund to help the families in the gulf of mexico. ed markey taking his time to lash back at the leading republican in the room, joe barton of texas. jessica yellin, a partisan fight now breaking out, congressman barton saying this is a shakedown, a slush fund it musseled out of bp. ed markey saying that it's what should happen. >> its astonishing the political debate that's happening across the country about the proper role of government. i was watching when they cut away to hayward while barton was making this comment. i don't know if ...

Reservoir. you don't take chances. i will be interested to hear the explanation of why this design was chosen. >> we will hear that explanation, further along in the testimony. so far, you had a culture of corporate complacency and that put profits over safety and that led to the deepwater horizon explosion and the tragedy that we see in the gulf of mexico, but from the most senior republican to speak so far, something quite different. he said, yes, bp should be held accountable but joe barton, republican of texas also said this. >> but i'm ashamed of what happened in the white house yesterday...

Profits, getting things done quickly, putting safety lower on the list. most republicans also say there are tough questions facing bp, but one republican, joe barton of texas said he owed mr. hayward an apology. he said the $20 million fund was a slush fund and a shakedown. ali velshi is among our correspondents down in the gulf region. as you listen to this, based on your conversations with so many people in the region, obviously they want to hear most from mr. hayward. what do you make of it so far? >> when the president announced their in his primetime speech the other night, i was with a g...

And that maybe the problem lay there rather than with anything that could have gone wrong with bp, that it was there with mms, and what we've learned and confirmed that that is not correct, that the problem does lie with bp and what went wrong and while there are many faumts with mms and doing its job on inspection and safety oversight, most of the data now presents to wrong decision making by bp's management, and this is not the first time, and we've talked about that in several of our opening statements this morning. this is not the first time that you've been before this kmirtty on safety p...

Legitimately conducting a criminal investigation and has every right to do so to protect the interest of the american people participating in what amounts to a $20 billion slush fund that's unprecedented in our nation's history, that's got no legal standing and which set, i think, a terrible precedent for the future. >> mr. hofmeister, joe barton is from where you are. you are in texas today. i assume you have known him a long time. he's an ally of the industry. bp under political pressure sat across the table and negotiated this deal with the white house. why would he call. a shakedown and a ...