(CNN) -- The promise of $60 billion can do a lot to calm outrage.
That point was
underscored Wednesday, when House leaders met with irate representatives
from New York and New Jersey who felt they had been ignored by House
Speaker John Boehner, when he scrapped a planned vote late Tuesday on
the massive package to aid package for victims of Superstorm Sandy.
"We're getting what New
York and New Jersey need, and that's all that counts," Rep. Peter King,
R-New York, told reporters after emerging from a 20-minute meeting with
Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. "We're all big boys; we
understand that all that counts is the bottom line."
A vote on $9 billion on immediate aid is set for Friday, with the balance of $51 billion due for consideration January 15.
In a statement, Boehner
and Cantor said "critical aid" to storm victims should be the first
priority of the new Congress, which convenes Thursday.
The comity contrasted
sharply with the outrage that exploded earlier in the day over Congress'
inaction on the package, pitting even fellow Republicans against
Boehner.
It was "disappointing and
disgusting to watch," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, blaming "the
toxic internal politics of the House majority."
"New Jersey deserves better than the duplicity we saw on display," he said, adding, "shame on Congress."
Christie, a Republican,
said he had tried to reach Boehner on Tuesday night after the latter
surprised many by canceling a vote on the aid bill, which was already
approved by the Senate. "He did not take my calls," said Christie.
In a news conference,
Christie said he joined people of his state in feeling "betrayed," and
added that the move summarize "why the American people hate Congress."
In a statement, Christie
and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote, "This failure to come to the aid
of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is
unprecedented. The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer,
families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and
struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty. "
Boehner did not make public remarks, and did not post about the issue on social media.
But civility was
restored late in the afternoon. "As far as I'm concerned, that was a
lifetime ago," King said. "I know it was last night, but the bottom line
is we're going forward getting what we believe is necessary."
Earlier, King had
slammed his own party. "The Republican Party has said it's the party of
'family values.' Last night, it turned its back on the most essential
value of all, and that's to provide food, shelter, clothing and relief
for people who have been hit by a natural disaster," King told CNN.
King told CNN he chased
Boehner "all over the House last night" and that Boehner had said
everything would be taken care of after the vote on the fiscal cliff.
But Boehner left.
King called the House leadership's move a "knife in the back."
"Anyone from New York or
New Jersey who contributes one penny to the Republican Congressional
Campaign Committee should have their head examined," King said. It's
very rare for a lawmaker to call on anyone not to support his own party.
A senior GOP leadership
aide said Boehner will make a Sandy aid package "his first priority in
the new Congress," which begins its term Thursday.
When a new Congress
begins, both chambers have to begin from scratch with legislation, so
the Senate's passage of a previous bill will be moot.
Michael Steel, Boehner's spokesman, said the speaker is "committed to getting this bill passed this month."
The House adjourned
shortly after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, and plans to return at 11 a.m.
Thursday -- an hour before the new Congress begins.
"It seems an even sadder
commentary on the state of our Congress than we've observed to date,"
said Paul Lurrie, who lives in Belle Harbor, New York, and had no heat
or electricity for three weeks after the storm struck.
He accused Boehner of "petulance" for not bringing the package to a vote as expected.
Before the House adjourned Wednesday, President Barack Obama urged a vote.
"It has only been two
months since Hurricane Sandy devastated communities across New York, New
Jersey, and Connecticut as well as other Eastern states. Our citizens
are still trying to put their lives back together," Obama said in a
statement.
"When tragedy strikes,
Americans come together to support those in need. I urge Republicans in
the House of Representatives to do the same, bring this important
request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow
Americans," Obama said.
Some of the harshest comments came from King.
In stricken region, 'the money was needed yesterday'
King, speaking to CNN,
had warned of political repercussions for his party. "There are a number
of Republicans who maybe can kiss their seat goodbye ... because of
what was done to them," he said, referring to GOP lawmakers in the
region stricken by Sandy. "If you can't provide the most basic
assistance for your district, who needs you in Congress?"
Scott Mandel, vice
president of New York's Long Beach City Council, told CNN, "The money
was needed yesterday and the fact that there's an obstacle in the way
for whatever reason and a vote wasn't allowed to go forward was
inexcusable."
The money would improve the city's ability to withstand damage from winter storms, Mandel said.
Carlo Scissura,
president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said hundreds of
businesses that have been unable to reopen are waiting for federal
grants.
"I would love to give
the speaker and the majority leader... a tour of these devastated areas
then have them tell me we shouldn't be getting the money," Scissura
said.
Fiscal cliff battle held up the measure
The tumultuous process
of getting the fiscal cliff deal passed in the House held up the relief
measure, and many conservative House Republicans opposed the size of the
Senate bill.
"Leadership was
all-consumed with the cliff procedure," Rogers told reporters off the
House floor late Tuesday. "And they really have not had the time to
devote to this because of that."
Sandy killed at least
113 people in the United States and left millions of people without
power after running up the East Coast in late October. The storm hit
hardest in New York and New Jersey.
Gov. Cuomo has put storm-related costs at $41.9 billion, while Gov. Christie has estimated a price tag of $36.8 billion.
The bill includes grant
funding for owners of homes and businesses, as well as funding for
public improvement projects on the electric grid, hospitals and transit
systems to prevent damage from future storms.
John Stone, a resident
of New York's Staten Island, owned two homes before the storm. One was
destroyed; the other was so severely flooded that it remains unlivable.
But he expressed no anger over the House's decision. "They'll just have to do it all over again, I suppose. What can you say?"
"It's a lot of money," he said, adding "there's a lot of other things they've got to do."
He tends to vote
Republican, and doesn't plan to turn away from the party, he said,
although, he added, "I don't give them much money anyway."
He's been living with relatives in New Jersey.
