. >> tom tarantino, i know you and pat murphy have been talking about some of the services veterans willg. what's the backlog likely to be? the va is already under criticism for not processing things quickly enough. >> the good news is the va has been on quite a tear over the last six months. they've reduced the backlog by about 33%. this is due to new initiatives like mandatory overtime, better communication with the dod and social security administration. the shutdown is essentially throwing a huge wrench into the works. while most claims processors will still be working, all the tools that they use to help develop claims are going to be shut down over at dod and at social security and other parts of the government. so what it's really doing is putting a huge roadblock in the progress that we need in order to get rid of the backlog in the next year and a half. >> now, counseling services, clinics, other medical facilities, pat murphy, for the veterans, tell me what's open, what's not. >> so no travel for our soldiers. there's no childcare at these military posts. no counseling or educa

. >> former congressman pat murphy. great to have you with us tonight. thank you.ou for staying on the veterans' issues. i appreciate it. we'll have another update from the nation's capital with michael isikoff and clint van zant. stay with us. after this. i want peacocks. peacocks? walking the grounds. in tuscany. [ man ] her parents didn't expect her dreams to be so ambitious. italy? oh, that's not good. [ man ] by exploring their options, they learned that instead of going to italy, they could use a home equity loan to renovate their yard and have a beautiful wedding right here while possibly increasing the value of their home. you and roger could get married in our backyard. it's robert, dad. [ female announcer ] come in to find the right credit options for your needs. because when people talk, great things happen. because you can't beat zero heartburn. woo hoo! [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. >>> welcome back to "the ed show."

pat rick murphy from florida, sir, it's great to have you here. i'm sure you heard luke talking about exactly the motivations and thought process for someone like john boehner. but you and your colleague, timothy bishop sent a letter signed by 200 members of congress, a clean spending bill vote to reopen the government. have you received a response yet? >> no, we haven't received a response. i agree with luke said. common knowledge and thought process on hill, if this clean cr came up for a vote, it would pass. mr. bishop and i put this letter together within a matter of hours. we had 200 democrats ready to vote for the clean cr. that nbc report has shown at least 22 republicans willing to vote for the clean cr. >> it was peter king, congressman peter king who was saying if he feels positive if a clean cr were pass if it went to the floor tomorrow, 50 to 75 republicans voting for it. if it were a secret ballot, 150. what do you think of speaker boehner's claims there aren't the votes to pass it? >> the only thing i can speculate it is politically

governor pat mckrory, a republican, temporarily halted the state's work first program. concern from people who call the program a lifeline, like james murp murphy'sher baby, the third one. >> reporter: the checks are about $215 each month for each family. other states are using their own money to plug the gap, when this letter was sent. but north carolina doesn't trust that the government will repay them. >> why issic in increase the only one of all these states that is victimizing it's most vulnerable citizens in this way? it is not acceptable. >> reporter: david price says it could be politics. >> the state has found 75, 80,000 to keep the blue ridge parkway open. that's a good thing, but it does raise the question, why would we be the only state out of 50 that can't find the money for these families with these acute needs. >> reporter: the north carolina budget and tax center, an advocacy group for low-income families agrees. >> we have a rainy-day fund that has more than $600 milt onin it. this is certainly a rainy day for families in north carolina. there's no reason that state policymakers can't tap into those dollars to provide stop-gap su

pat mcquarie, a republican, temporarily halted the state's work first program, which provides short-term assistance to low-income families. concern from people who call the program a lifeline, like james murphy'sble to take care of her baby, the third one. >> reporter: the checks are about $215 per month for each family. other states are using their own money to plug the gap after the obama administration sent this letter, saying states could qualify for federal reimbursement post shutdown. but north carolina doesn't trust that the government will repay them. >> why is north carolina the only one of all these states that is victimizing its most vulnerable citizens in this way? it is not acceptable. >> north carolina's democratic congressman, david price, says it could be politics. >> the state has found $75,000, $80,000 to keep the blue ridge parkway open, and that's a good thing, but it does raise the question, why would we be the only state out of 50 that can't find the money for these families with these acute needs? >> reporter: the north carolina budget and tax center, an advocacy group for low-income families, agrees. >> we have a rainy day fund that has more than $600 million in it. thi