Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings (Fla.) said Friday he would not be nice to Republicans testifying before the House Rules Committee because they were being "nasty to poor people."
Republican Reps. Kevin Brady (Texas) and Greg Walden (Ore.) were testifying about the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare when Hastings accused Republicans of not caring about Americans on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Walden protested Hastings' claim.
"This insinuation that we don't care about people on Medicaid, I am offended by that," Walden said before discussing a program in Oregon he worked on.
Hastings then asked Walden about Medicaid funding as his voice grew louder.
"OK, I'm going to try and bring the tone down here just a little bit," Walden responded.
"I'm not going to bring my tone down!" Hastings said. "I'm mad as hell about what you all are doing, and I don't have to be nice to nobody when you're being nasty to poor people!"
In 1989, Hastings was impeached and convicted by Congress for "corrupt conspiracy" by extorting a $150,000 bribe in a case before him when he was a federal judge. Hastings owes a substantial amount of money due to legal fees and has complained that members of Congress do not make enough money while his office continues to pay his girlfriend the largest salary possible of $168,411.