(Updated) Although Congress passed a last minute compromise last night to keep America from going over the fiscal cliff, the House of Representatives adjourned late Tuesday without following through on the $60 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill which has politicians from New York and New Jersey up in arms, the most vocal being N.J. Governor Chris Christie.
New York and New Jersey suffered the most devastation and loss in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
CNN quoted Governor Christie as saying:
"There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering" of Sandy victims, and that's Boehner and the House Republican leadership.”
“Shame on you. Shame on Congress,” Christie said.
Speaker of the House John Boehner didn't allow a vote last night on the $60 billion aid package which would have gone toward helping victims of Superstorm Sandy. The current session for the House ends today. The House won’t be back in session until the new Congress gets sworn in on Thursday.
Christie was under the impression due to assurances he received previously, that the House would be voting on the Sandy aid bill Tuesday evening after everything got ironed out with the fiscal cliff vote. However, Christie came to be informed Tuesday night that the "authority for the (Sandy) vote was pulled by the speaker."
Gov. Christie said he tried calling Boehner four times Tuesday night; “and he didn’t take my calls."
"Every day that we don’t begin to get this aid are days that we can’t get people back in (their) homes, get businesses reopened. ... It’s absolutely disgraceful,” Christie said.
Update: The Associated Press reported Wednesday night that thanks to intense pressure from some very upset Republicans, John Boehner said that the House would be voting on the Superstorm Sandy aid bill perhaps as early as this Friday.
For more on Gov. Chris Christie and the Superstorm Sandy devastation, see the video accompanying this article.
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