The House will vote Friday on legislation to provide part of the $60 billion in relief for victims of Superstorm Sandy in New York and New Jersey. A vote on the remainder of the aid will come on Jan. 15.
MSNBC reported that Congress will take up the measures after Republicans spent Wednesday morning ripping into Speaker of the House John Boehner and the GOP for their “disgraceful” abandonment of those suffering in the continued aftermath of the storm.
In a meeting Wednesday afternoon, Boehner promised a vote Friday for the first $9 billion of the funds, with the other $51 billion up for a vote in two weeks, according to
NBC.
"Getting critical aid to the victims of Hurricane Sandy should be the first priority in the new Congress, and that was reaffirmed today with members of the New York and New Jersey delegation," Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said in a joint statement after the meeting.
The Senate will need to vote on both new bills before funds can be distributed since the one it had previously approved dies Thursday when the new Congress takes office.
Prominent New York Republican Rep. Peter King tore into the Speaker and his own party on CNN Wednesday morning after Boehner did not hold a promised vote Tuesday after the House passed legislation to avoid the fiscal cliff.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called the lack of action to help storm victims “disgraceful” and that it exemplified “why the American people hate Congress.”
“Unlike people in Congress, we have actual responsibilities.”
At a press conference following the afternoon meeting, King sought to tamp down the damage from the howling of tri-state area members of both the House and Senate by focusing on the fact that something would finally be done to help his constituents.
"Whatever's done is done, and that's it," King said. "The bottom line is we need the $60 billion."
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