A Sandy relief bill Chris Christie said was “66 days and counting” in the making was finally passed by the House in a vote with widespread support this morning, but not before the outspoken New Jersey governor had to rough a few people up in a heated press conference earlier this week.
Speaking for both himself and New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo (a Democrat), the Republican mensch excoriated the House and Speaker John Boehner after Congress failed to pass a Sandy relief bill, calling House GOP reps on the carpet for delaying a vote to appropriate much-needed aid to victims of Sandy on the East Coast.
Blog The Hill reports that support for the bill was high in the House and only Republicans voted no on the measure:
“The House passed legislation on Friday that allows the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to take on $9.7 billion in new debt to help meet claims related to Hurricane Sandy… Members easily passed the bill in a 354-67 vote — the only ‘no’ votes came from Republicans. A two-thirds majority was needed for passage.”
Politico reports that Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) was skeptical of what he deemed a “promissory note” requiring further action and funding from Congress to help affected areas of New York and New Jersey get back on their feet — Meeks commented:
“[Those affected by Sandy have] been suffering… They have been [suffering] long enough. They need to hear from their government that their government is with them just as it has been with everybody else in this country.”
So Gov. Chris Christie went H.A.M. on the GOP in his Denny Green voice, w/Bob Marley playin in the bkgd then dropped the mic…. #Hello2013
— Sharron(@snwann) January 2, 2013
In Christie’s impassioned flaying of the inaction on Sandy, he repeatedly referred to “palace intrigue” and noted that victims of Katrina received a federal aid package in just 10 days, making the wait for Sandy victims more than six times longer.
