The 67 Republican congressmen who tried and failed Friday to stop the House from approving a $9.7 billion package to aid Hurricane Sandy victims got some choice words from former New York Sen. Al D’Amato.
“They’re a bunch of jackasses,” D’Amato said.
Once the most powerful GOP politician in the state, D’Amato ripped the Republicans who opposed paying the flood insurance claims of Sandy vics, saying they “don’t deserve to be in Congress.”
“Every one of the 67 who voted no are nothing more than pawns of a philosophy that is not backed up by facts,” said D’Amato, a three-term senator who lives on Long Island and whose family is still struggling after the storm.
D'Amato said the naysayers tried to punish people who dutifully paid their insurance premiums.
“This is not pork,” he said.
Even more galling, said D’Amato, many of these Republican refuseniks are from states that received billions of dollars in aid after Hurricane Katrina — no questions asked.
“This country is about coming to the aid of regions in need,” he said. “We don't say, ‘Oh no, this money is for Louisiana, I don't live there so what do I care.'"
[h=4]Win McNamee/Getty Images[/h][h=4]$50 billion Hurricane Katrina aid bill took just 10 days to pass.[/h]
Despite his anger, D'Amato expressed confidence the rest of the $60.4 billion package will pass Jan. 15 as promised by House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.
But there were already clear signs those same stingy pols were lining up against awarding the New York region any more aid.
“We should not have parades down the street because this bill has passed,” Sen. Chucks Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor. “The major work of helping the victims of Sandy is still ahead of us.”
Schumer said the measure passed Friday — more than two months after the storm — was just “a small down payment on the much larger amount of aid that needs to get through Congress.”
The White House, which said President Obama would sign the approved bill next week, urged Congress not to dither or delay passage on the rest of the package.
“We continue to urge Congress to take up and pass the full supplemental request submitted last year to ensure affected communities have the support they need for longer term recovery,” spokesman Keith Maley said.
Gov. Cuomo, another Democrat, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, called the vote “a necessary and critical first step” in a joint — and carefully worded — statement.
“It is now time to go even further and pass the final and more complete, clean disaster aid bill,” they said.
Standing in the way of that is Rep. Paul Ryan, an influential Wisconsin congressman who was Mitt Romney’s running mate and the most prominent of the conservative Republicans who voted no.
In a statement explaining why, Ryan insisted they are “committed to quickly meeting the needs of the communities affected by the storm.” But he said there’s too much pork in the package.
“The Senate bill is packed with funding for unrelated items such as commercial fisheries in American Samoa and roof repair of museums in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
“We need to ensure the necessary resources are provided in response to true emergency needs.”
Before Friday’s vote, the conservative Club for Growth vowed to punish any House members who voted for the flood insurance measure.
“Congress should not allow the federal government to be involved in the flood insurance industry in the first place, let alone expand the National Flood Insurance Program's authority,” Club leader Andy Roth said in a statment.
And yet many of the pols who voted nay come from states that have suffered severe storm damage in recent years, and around which the nation has rallied.
That includes pols like Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Rep. Steven Palazzo of Biloxi, Miss., Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana, and Reps. Ted Yoho and Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Paul Broun, Doug Collins, Tom Graves, Tom Price and Rob Woodall — all reps from hurricane-prone Georgia — also voted no.
So did Joe Wilson, Mick Mulvaney and Jeffrey Duncan, congressmen from oft storm-threatened South Carolina, and John Weber, who represents coastal Texas.
Another congressman, Sam Graves of Missouri, lobbied for an emergency declaration for his home state for flooding in 2011.
But Graves voted no for aid to New York.
Republican reps like Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and Trent Franks of Arizona, had no qualms about voting for $50 billion in supplemental Katrina aid and increasing the flood insurance pool by $2 billion in 2005.
But they too voted no for aid to New York.
Denise Kelly, whose Staten Island home was ruined by Sandy, said these Republicans should try living in her gutted house on Center Place.
“I just don't know where they're coming from," Kelly, 61, said, her eyes tearing up. “What can they be thinking? They are very selfish. They're sitting there in their warm houses. I'm sure they have walls, and windows and doors. I really didn't think anyone would vote no.”
Kelly said she’s already shelled out $7,000 to get the mold out and another $2,400 to get the electricity working again.
And the $60,000 Kelly expects to get from flood insurance won’t cover all the costs of rebuilding, let alone replace the ruined contents of her home.
“We lost everything,” she said.
A few devastated blocks away, Sebastian Cina said his mother lost and lifetime of memories and possessions when her house on Cedar Grove Beach Place flooded. She was relying on the flood insurance to rebuild, he said.
“That’s something we paid for all these years,” said Cina, 42, “A disaster like this only happens, you hope, once every 100 years.”
James Trezzino, 41, said he wound up with six feet of water in the basement of his ruined Staten Island home. He said Ryan and his ilk aren’t sympathetic because this has probably never happened to them.
“I can assume the full 67 never experienced a disaster like this, because it would have caused them to put politics aside and act like human beings,” he said.
The House vote Friday passed by an overwhelming 354-67 margin. The Senate then approved the measure by unanimous consent.
But it almost didn’t happen.
Boehner, who did not cast a vote for the package, scuttled the aid vote that had originally been scheduled for Wednesday — and stabbed New York in the back.
The Ohioan made the move while while trying to beat back a revolt against the fiscal cliff fix that was led by his top lieutenant, House Majority leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
Siding with Cantor were many of the same conservative Republicans who voted no Friday.
The Daily News reported that Boehner delayed the vote to get back at Cantor, who gets major campaign donations from New York’s financial services sector and was shepherding the Sandy aid package.
Boehner won the fiscal cliff battle and the fix passed, rescuing the U.S. from an economic meltdown.
But Boehner was pilloried by Democrats and local Republicans like Rep. Pete King of Long Island for dawdling on the Sandy aid commitment.
In a remarkable attack on the leader of his own party, King went on the House floor and accused Boehner of sticking “a cruel knife in the back” of people who lost their homes, their jobs and their possessions.
Christie also ripped Boehner, declaring that the speaker’s stiffing of needy local residents is “why people hate Washington.”
These blasts were followed by threats from GOP loyalists like D’Amato to send busloads of Republican Long Islanders down to D.C. to protest.
Boehner quickly backtracked and rescheduled the aid vote for Friday. One of the Republicans who voted yes was Cantor.
“This legislation is the first necessary step” to provide the aid that New York, New Jersey and Connecticut need “after the most devastating storm in the history of our region,” King said after the vote.
Among those who desperately need help is a Long Island mom who lost two firefighter sons on 9/11, he said.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Westchester) called the vote “a good first step.”
“On January 15th, we must build on this success by passing the remainder of the robust assistance package that is needed for New York, New Jersey, and other states affected by Sandy,” said Lowey.
That’s the date Boehner has promised for a vote on the rest of the aid package — a full 78 days after Sandy struck.
The House vote was critical to keep money flowing into the flood-battered region after the Federal Emergency Management Program warned its flood insurance program was running out of money.
FEMA says the program has already paid out $1.7 billion for 140,000 claims by Sandy victims. But about 115,000 flood claims are still pending, and many victims have only received partial payment to cover their damages, the feds said.
By contrast, Congress took just 10 days to approve $50 million in aid for Katrina victims eight years ago.
The tri-state region was the hardest hit by the massive storm, with more than 300,000 housing units damaged or destroyed in New York and another 72,000 homes and businesses affected in New Jersey.
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These 67 Republican leaders voted 'NO' to help Sandy victims. The News is providing their names and phone numbers in case you had anything you wanted to say to them.
[h=4]Getty Images;AP;New York Daily News[/h][h=4](L. to rt.) Joe Wilson, Louie Gohmert and Paul Ryan.[/h]
Justin Amash (Mich.) (202) 225-3831
Garland Barr (Ky.) (202) 225-4706
Dan Benishek (Mich.) (202) 225-4735
Kerry Bentivolio (Mich.) (202) 225-8171
Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) (202) 225-2811
Jim Bridenstine (Okla.) (202) 225-2211
Mo Brooks (Ala.) (202) 225-4801
Paul Broun (Ga.) (202) 225-4101
Steve Chabot (Ohio) (202) 225-2216
Doug Collins (Ga.) (202) 225-9893
Michael Conaway (Texas) (202) 225-3605
Tom Cotton (Ark.) (202) 225-3772
Steve Daines (Mont.) (202) 225-3211
Ron DeSantis (Fla.) (202) 225-2706
Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.) (202) 225-6831
Sean Duffy (Wis.) (202) 225-3365
Jeff Duncan (S.C.) (202) 225-5301
John Duncan (Tenn.) (202) 225-5435
Stephen Fincher (Tenn.) (202) 225-4714
John Fleming (La.) (202) 225-2777
Bill Flores (Texas) (202) 225-6105
Virginia Foxx (N.C.) (202) 225-2071
Trent Franks (Ariz.) (202) 225-4576
Louie Gohmert (Texas) (202) 225-3035
Bob Goodlatte (Va.) (202) 225-5431
Paul Gosar (Ariz.) (202) 225-2315
Trey Gowdy (S.C.) (202) 225-6030
Tom Graves (Ga.) (202) 225-5211
Sam Graves (Mo.) (202) 225-7041
Andy Harris (Md.) (202) 225-5311
George Holding (N.C.) (202) 225-3032
Richard Hudson (N.C.) (202) 225-3715
Tim Huelskamp (Kan.) (202) 225-2715
Randy Hultgren (Ill.) (202) 225-2976
Lynn Jenkins (Kan.) (202) 225-6601
Jim Jordan (Ohio)(202) 225-2676
Doug Lamborn (Colo.) (202) 225-4422
Kenny Marchant (Texas) (202) 225-6605
Thomas Massie (Ky.) (202) 225-3465
Tom McClintock (Calif.) (202) 225-2511
Mark Meadows (N.C.) (202) 225-6401
Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) (202) 225-2701
Mick Mulvaney (S.C.) (202) 225-5501
Randy Neugebauer (Texas) (202) 225-4005
Steven Palazzo (Miss.) (202) 225-5772
Steve Pearce (N.M.) (202) 225-2365
Scott Perry (Pa.) (202) 225-2565
Tom Petri (Wis.) (202) 225-2476
Mike Pompeo (Kan.) (202) 225-6216
Tom Price (Ga.) (202) 225-4501
Phil Roe (Tenn.)(202) 225-6356
Todd Rokita (Ind.) (202) 225-5037
Keith Rothfus (Pa.) (202) 225-2065
Ed Royce (Calif.) (202) 225-4111
Paul Ryan (Wis.) (202) 225-3031
Matt Salmon (Ariz.) (202) 225-2635
David Schweikert (Ariz.) (202) 225-2190
Jim Sensenbrenner (Wis.) (202) 225-5101
Marlin Stutzman (Ind.) (202) 225-4436
Mac Thornberry (Texas) (202) 225-3706
Randy Weber (Texas) (202) 225-2831
Brad Wenstrup (Ohio) (202) 225-3164
Roger Williams (Texas) (202) 225-9896
Joe Wilson (S.C.) (202) 225-2452
Rob Woodall (Ga.) (202) 225-4272
Kevin Yoder (Kan.) (202) 225-2865
Ted Yoho (Fla.) (202) 225-5744
“They’re a bunch of jackasses,” D’Amato said.
Once the most powerful GOP politician in the state, D’Amato ripped the Republicans who opposed paying the flood insurance claims of Sandy vics, saying they “don’t deserve to be in Congress.”
“Every one of the 67 who voted no are nothing more than pawns of a philosophy that is not backed up by facts,” said D’Amato, a three-term senator who lives on Long Island and whose family is still struggling after the storm.
D'Amato said the naysayers tried to punish people who dutifully paid their insurance premiums.
“This is not pork,” he said.
Even more galling, said D’Amato, many of these Republican refuseniks are from states that received billions of dollars in aid after Hurricane Katrina — no questions asked.
“This country is about coming to the aid of regions in need,” he said. “We don't say, ‘Oh no, this money is for Louisiana, I don't live there so what do I care.'"
Despite his anger, D'Amato expressed confidence the rest of the $60.4 billion package will pass Jan. 15 as promised by House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.
But there were already clear signs those same stingy pols were lining up against awarding the New York region any more aid.
“We should not have parades down the street because this bill has passed,” Sen. Chucks Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor. “The major work of helping the victims of Sandy is still ahead of us.”
Schumer said the measure passed Friday — more than two months after the storm — was just “a small down payment on the much larger amount of aid that needs to get through Congress.”
The White House, which said President Obama would sign the approved bill next week, urged Congress not to dither or delay passage on the rest of the package.
“We continue to urge Congress to take up and pass the full supplemental request submitted last year to ensure affected communities have the support they need for longer term recovery,” spokesman Keith Maley said.
Gov. Cuomo, another Democrat, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, called the vote “a necessary and critical first step” in a joint — and carefully worded — statement.
“It is now time to go even further and pass the final and more complete, clean disaster aid bill,” they said.
Standing in the way of that is Rep. Paul Ryan, an influential Wisconsin congressman who was Mitt Romney’s running mate and the most prominent of the conservative Republicans who voted no.
In a statement explaining why, Ryan insisted they are “committed to quickly meeting the needs of the communities affected by the storm.” But he said there’s too much pork in the package.
“The Senate bill is packed with funding for unrelated items such as commercial fisheries in American Samoa and roof repair of museums in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
“We need to ensure the necessary resources are provided in response to true emergency needs.”
Before Friday’s vote, the conservative Club for Growth vowed to punish any House members who voted for the flood insurance measure.
“Congress should not allow the federal government to be involved in the flood insurance industry in the first place, let alone expand the National Flood Insurance Program's authority,” Club leader Andy Roth said in a statment.
And yet many of the pols who voted nay come from states that have suffered severe storm damage in recent years, and around which the nation has rallied.
That includes pols like Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Rep. Steven Palazzo of Biloxi, Miss., Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana, and Reps. Ted Yoho and Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Paul Broun, Doug Collins, Tom Graves, Tom Price and Rob Woodall — all reps from hurricane-prone Georgia — also voted no.
So did Joe Wilson, Mick Mulvaney and Jeffrey Duncan, congressmen from oft storm-threatened South Carolina, and John Weber, who represents coastal Texas.
Another congressman, Sam Graves of Missouri, lobbied for an emergency declaration for his home state for flooding in 2011.
But Graves voted no for aid to New York.
Republican reps like Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and Trent Franks of Arizona, had no qualms about voting for $50 billion in supplemental Katrina aid and increasing the flood insurance pool by $2 billion in 2005.
But they too voted no for aid to New York.
Denise Kelly, whose Staten Island home was ruined by Sandy, said these Republicans should try living in her gutted house on Center Place.
“I just don't know where they're coming from," Kelly, 61, said, her eyes tearing up. “What can they be thinking? They are very selfish. They're sitting there in their warm houses. I'm sure they have walls, and windows and doors. I really didn't think anyone would vote no.”
Kelly said she’s already shelled out $7,000 to get the mold out and another $2,400 to get the electricity working again.
And the $60,000 Kelly expects to get from flood insurance won’t cover all the costs of rebuilding, let alone replace the ruined contents of her home.
“We lost everything,” she said.
A few devastated blocks away, Sebastian Cina said his mother lost and lifetime of memories and possessions when her house on Cedar Grove Beach Place flooded. She was relying on the flood insurance to rebuild, he said.
“That’s something we paid for all these years,” said Cina, 42, “A disaster like this only happens, you hope, once every 100 years.”
James Trezzino, 41, said he wound up with six feet of water in the basement of his ruined Staten Island home. He said Ryan and his ilk aren’t sympathetic because this has probably never happened to them.
“I can assume the full 67 never experienced a disaster like this, because it would have caused them to put politics aside and act like human beings,” he said.
The House vote Friday passed by an overwhelming 354-67 margin. The Senate then approved the measure by unanimous consent.
But it almost didn’t happen.
Boehner, who did not cast a vote for the package, scuttled the aid vote that had originally been scheduled for Wednesday — and stabbed New York in the back.
The Ohioan made the move while while trying to beat back a revolt against the fiscal cliff fix that was led by his top lieutenant, House Majority leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
Siding with Cantor were many of the same conservative Republicans who voted no Friday.
The Daily News reported that Boehner delayed the vote to get back at Cantor, who gets major campaign donations from New York’s financial services sector and was shepherding the Sandy aid package.
Boehner won the fiscal cliff battle and the fix passed, rescuing the U.S. from an economic meltdown.
But Boehner was pilloried by Democrats and local Republicans like Rep. Pete King of Long Island for dawdling on the Sandy aid commitment.
In a remarkable attack on the leader of his own party, King went on the House floor and accused Boehner of sticking “a cruel knife in the back” of people who lost their homes, their jobs and their possessions.
Christie also ripped Boehner, declaring that the speaker’s stiffing of needy local residents is “why people hate Washington.”
These blasts were followed by threats from GOP loyalists like D’Amato to send busloads of Republican Long Islanders down to D.C. to protest.
Boehner quickly backtracked and rescheduled the aid vote for Friday. One of the Republicans who voted yes was Cantor.
“This legislation is the first necessary step” to provide the aid that New York, New Jersey and Connecticut need “after the most devastating storm in the history of our region,” King said after the vote.
Among those who desperately need help is a Long Island mom who lost two firefighter sons on 9/11, he said.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Westchester) called the vote “a good first step.”
“On January 15th, we must build on this success by passing the remainder of the robust assistance package that is needed for New York, New Jersey, and other states affected by Sandy,” said Lowey.
That’s the date Boehner has promised for a vote on the rest of the aid package — a full 78 days after Sandy struck.
The House vote was critical to keep money flowing into the flood-battered region after the Federal Emergency Management Program warned its flood insurance program was running out of money.
FEMA says the program has already paid out $1.7 billion for 140,000 claims by Sandy victims. But about 115,000 flood claims are still pending, and many victims have only received partial payment to cover their damages, the feds said.
By contrast, Congress took just 10 days to approve $50 million in aid for Katrina victims eight years ago.
The tri-state region was the hardest hit by the massive storm, with more than 300,000 housing units damaged or destroyed in New York and another 72,000 homes and businesses affected in New Jersey.
[email protected]
These 67 Republican leaders voted 'NO' to help Sandy victims. The News is providing their names and phone numbers in case you had anything you wanted to say to them.
Justin Amash (Mich.) (202) 225-3831
Garland Barr (Ky.) (202) 225-4706
Dan Benishek (Mich.) (202) 225-4735
Kerry Bentivolio (Mich.) (202) 225-8171
Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) (202) 225-2811
Jim Bridenstine (Okla.) (202) 225-2211
Mo Brooks (Ala.) (202) 225-4801
Paul Broun (Ga.) (202) 225-4101
Steve Chabot (Ohio) (202) 225-2216
Doug Collins (Ga.) (202) 225-9893
Michael Conaway (Texas) (202) 225-3605
Tom Cotton (Ark.) (202) 225-3772
Steve Daines (Mont.) (202) 225-3211
Ron DeSantis (Fla.) (202) 225-2706
Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.) (202) 225-6831
Sean Duffy (Wis.) (202) 225-3365
Jeff Duncan (S.C.) (202) 225-5301
John Duncan (Tenn.) (202) 225-5435
Stephen Fincher (Tenn.) (202) 225-4714
John Fleming (La.) (202) 225-2777
Bill Flores (Texas) (202) 225-6105
Virginia Foxx (N.C.) (202) 225-2071
Trent Franks (Ariz.) (202) 225-4576
Louie Gohmert (Texas) (202) 225-3035
Bob Goodlatte (Va.) (202) 225-5431
Paul Gosar (Ariz.) (202) 225-2315
Trey Gowdy (S.C.) (202) 225-6030
Tom Graves (Ga.) (202) 225-5211
Sam Graves (Mo.) (202) 225-7041
Andy Harris (Md.) (202) 225-5311
George Holding (N.C.) (202) 225-3032
Richard Hudson (N.C.) (202) 225-3715
Tim Huelskamp (Kan.) (202) 225-2715
Randy Hultgren (Ill.) (202) 225-2976
Lynn Jenkins (Kan.) (202) 225-6601
Jim Jordan (Ohio)(202) 225-2676
Doug Lamborn (Colo.) (202) 225-4422
Kenny Marchant (Texas) (202) 225-6605
Thomas Massie (Ky.) (202) 225-3465
Tom McClintock (Calif.) (202) 225-2511
Mark Meadows (N.C.) (202) 225-6401
Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) (202) 225-2701
Mick Mulvaney (S.C.) (202) 225-5501
Randy Neugebauer (Texas) (202) 225-4005
Steven Palazzo (Miss.) (202) 225-5772
Steve Pearce (N.M.) (202) 225-2365
Scott Perry (Pa.) (202) 225-2565
Tom Petri (Wis.) (202) 225-2476
Mike Pompeo (Kan.) (202) 225-6216
Tom Price (Ga.) (202) 225-4501
Phil Roe (Tenn.)(202) 225-6356
Todd Rokita (Ind.) (202) 225-5037
Keith Rothfus (Pa.) (202) 225-2065
Ed Royce (Calif.) (202) 225-4111
Paul Ryan (Wis.) (202) 225-3031
Matt Salmon (Ariz.) (202) 225-2635
David Schweikert (Ariz.) (202) 225-2190
Jim Sensenbrenner (Wis.) (202) 225-5101
Marlin Stutzman (Ind.) (202) 225-4436
Mac Thornberry (Texas) (202) 225-3706
Randy Weber (Texas) (202) 225-2831
Brad Wenstrup (Ohio) (202) 225-3164
Roger Williams (Texas) (202) 225-9896
Joe Wilson (S.C.) (202) 225-2452
Rob Woodall (Ga.) (202) 225-4272
Kevin Yoder (Kan.) (202) 225-2865
Ted Yoho (Fla.) (202) 225-5744