[h=3]By ANDREW GROSSMAN , HEATHER HADDON and JARED A. FAVOLE[/h]Republican politicians from New Jersey and New York denounced congressional leaders from their own party for the decision to scrap an expected vote on a $60 billion measure to rebuild from superstorm Sandy.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fumed during a Wednesday afternoon news conference, faulting House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner as the only group to blame for not voting on the relief package before 112th Congress draws to a close.
APNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fumed during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Mr. Christie, a rising star in the Republican Party, said storm aid is not something you "play politics with" when people are suffering.
Rep. Peter King, a Republican from Long Island, called on the New York area's deep-pocketed donors to withhold contributions from GOP lawmakers. In heated remarks Wednesday morning, he said local donors would be "crazy" to give money to Republicans in Congress after the decision to delay the Sandy-relief vote.
"They come in, they come in, they're always coming in, doing fundraisers, raising tremendous amounts of money in New York," he said of his Republican colleagues. "The one time we need help they literally walk away."
Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican from Staten Island, described himself as feeling "disbelief and somewhat ashamed" over the surprise move. For the first time, he said, he was "not proud of the decision that my team has made."
Mr. King, the outgoing chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Mr. Boehner move would make a him a much more independent Republican, far less likely to hew the party line on run-of-the-mill votes.
"Last night my political world turned upside down," Mr. King said. "I'll be looking at (the Republican leadership) from a very different perspective."
Passage in the House was the final test for the Sandy bill, which had the support of President Barack Obama and had been passed by the Senate. Some House lawmakers had suggested the legislation was too large and contained wasteful spending.
Now, with a new Congress being sworn in, the bill must again be reintroduced and passed by the both chambers.
When asked why the bill was pulled, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner said: "The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month."
But Mr. King said that wouldn't be easy, pointing to an array of recesses, party retreats and procedural problems this month, such as the need to re-organize committees. He said it wasn't clear his allies—who had rounded up the more than three dozen Republican votes necessary to pass the measure in the current Congress—would be able to do so again.
"There's no evidence of any sympathy or support among House Republicans to help New York and New Jersey," Mr. King said. "We had 35 to 40 votes. That was calling in personal favors and people who were retiring."
A group of House lawmakers, including Mr. King, is scheduled to meet with Mr. Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to discuss the bill Wednesday afternoon.
The move not to hold a vote, announced on Tuesday night, had by morning drawn condemnation from Mr. Obama, who urged the House to reverse course and vote on the aid package Wednesday.
The House, Mr. Obama said in statement, "has refused to act, even as there are families and communities who still need our help to rebuild in the months and years ahead, and who also still need immediate support with the bulk of winter still in front of us."
Democratic politicians from states hit hard by superstorm Sandy also protested the decision not to vote on the relief bill. The reaction of Rep. Rush Holt was typical.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that lives are on the line," said the New Jersey Democrat. "People are living wherever they can. They don't have the shelter. They don't have the businesses. They don't have their lives and the speaker just walks away. That compounds the disaster. The delay compounds the disaster."
Mr. Christie joined with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, to issue a statement attacking the House leadership's "continued inaction and indifference."
Mr. Cuomo, speaking to reporters Wednesday, called the delayed vote a part of an overall sluggish pace of congressional action on superstorm Sandy. "If you look at the time of response," Mr. Cuomo said, "this is incredibly slow compared to past disasters."
—The Associated Press contributed to this article.The decision late Tuesday not to schedule a vote drew a parade of Northeastern lawmakers from both parties to the House floor on Wednesday morning to denounce the House leadership. Many pointed to previous relief packages passed quickly by Congress after disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
. New Jersey Gov. Chris
President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to vote Wednesday on a bill aimed at helping the Northeast rebuild after superstorm Sandy, saying the House should pass it without delay to provide money to states trying to restore vital infrastructure.
A bill providing $60.4 billion in aid has already passed the Senate.
Mr. Obama's statement, released by the White House Wednesday, comes after Republican leadership in the House surprised lawmakers Tuesday and said they wouldn't hold a vote on the Sandy package until Thursday at the earliest. That move angered many congressmen, who previously were upbeat that a vote would happen.
Sandy devastated much of the North East and Mr. Obama worked with governors from states such as New Jersey and Connecticut to get a package to Congress. The Senate passed the legislation but
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fumed during a Wednesday afternoon news conference, faulting House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner as the only group to blame for not voting on the relief package before 112th Congress draws to a close.
APNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fumed during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Mr. Christie, a rising star in the Republican Party, said storm aid is not something you "play politics with" when people are suffering.
Rep. Peter King, a Republican from Long Island, called on the New York area's deep-pocketed donors to withhold contributions from GOP lawmakers. In heated remarks Wednesday morning, he said local donors would be "crazy" to give money to Republicans in Congress after the decision to delay the Sandy-relief vote.
"They come in, they come in, they're always coming in, doing fundraisers, raising tremendous amounts of money in New York," he said of his Republican colleagues. "The one time we need help they literally walk away."
Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican from Staten Island, described himself as feeling "disbelief and somewhat ashamed" over the surprise move. For the first time, he said, he was "not proud of the decision that my team has made."
Mr. King, the outgoing chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Mr. Boehner move would make a him a much more independent Republican, far less likely to hew the party line on run-of-the-mill votes.
"Last night my political world turned upside down," Mr. King said. "I'll be looking at (the Republican leadership) from a very different perspective."
Passage in the House was the final test for the Sandy bill, which had the support of President Barack Obama and had been passed by the Senate. Some House lawmakers had suggested the legislation was too large and contained wasteful spending.
Now, with a new Congress being sworn in, the bill must again be reintroduced and passed by the both chambers.
When asked why the bill was pulled, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner said: "The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month."
But Mr. King said that wouldn't be easy, pointing to an array of recesses, party retreats and procedural problems this month, such as the need to re-organize committees. He said it wasn't clear his allies—who had rounded up the more than three dozen Republican votes necessary to pass the measure in the current Congress—would be able to do so again.
"There's no evidence of any sympathy or support among House Republicans to help New York and New Jersey," Mr. King said. "We had 35 to 40 votes. That was calling in personal favors and people who were retiring."
A group of House lawmakers, including Mr. King, is scheduled to meet with Mr. Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to discuss the bill Wednesday afternoon.
The move not to hold a vote, announced on Tuesday night, had by morning drawn condemnation from Mr. Obama, who urged the House to reverse course and vote on the aid package Wednesday.
The House, Mr. Obama said in statement, "has refused to act, even as there are families and communities who still need our help to rebuild in the months and years ahead, and who also still need immediate support with the bulk of winter still in front of us."
Democratic politicians from states hit hard by superstorm Sandy also protested the decision not to vote on the relief bill. The reaction of Rep. Rush Holt was typical.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that lives are on the line," said the New Jersey Democrat. "People are living wherever they can. They don't have the shelter. They don't have the businesses. They don't have their lives and the speaker just walks away. That compounds the disaster. The delay compounds the disaster."
Mr. Christie joined with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, to issue a statement attacking the House leadership's "continued inaction and indifference."
Mr. Cuomo, speaking to reporters Wednesday, called the delayed vote a part of an overall sluggish pace of congressional action on superstorm Sandy. "If you look at the time of response," Mr. Cuomo said, "this is incredibly slow compared to past disasters."
—The Associated Press contributed to this article.The decision late Tuesday not to schedule a vote drew a parade of Northeastern lawmakers from both parties to the House floor on Wednesday morning to denounce the House leadership. Many pointed to previous relief packages passed quickly by Congress after disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
. New Jersey Gov. Chris
President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to vote Wednesday on a bill aimed at helping the Northeast rebuild after superstorm Sandy, saying the House should pass it without delay to provide money to states trying to restore vital infrastructure.
A bill providing $60.4 billion in aid has already passed the Senate.
Mr. Obama's statement, released by the White House Wednesday, comes after Republican leadership in the House surprised lawmakers Tuesday and said they wouldn't hold a vote on the Sandy package until Thursday at the earliest. That move angered many congressmen, who previously were upbeat that a vote would happen.
Sandy devastated much of the North East and Mr. Obama worked with governors from states such as New Jersey and Connecticut to get a package to Congress. The Senate passed the legislation but