On January 2nd, following the close of the Congressional day, Governor Cuomo of NY and Governor Christie of NJ spoke out against the neglect of a Hurricane Sandy aid package.
Following is the joint statement issued voicing outrage that Congress has yet to finalize an aid package approved by the Senate two weeks ago.
"With all that New York and New Jersey and our millions of residents and small businesses have suffered and endured, this continued inaction and indifference by the House of Representatives is inexcusable. It has now been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy hit and 27 days since President Obama put forth a responsible aid proposal that passed with a bi-partisan vote in the Senate while the House has failed to even bring it to the floor. 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. When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night.
"The people of our states can no long afford to wait while politicians in Washington play games."
NY State estimated that Hurricane Sandy cost $32 billion, with areas of NYC such as Staten Island and Queens especially hard hit, and communities on Long Island devastated. The Jersey Shore also experienced catastrophic loss. Both states have called for a major federal aid package to assist the states in relief efforts.
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