'He prevented a rape of the Treasury': Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer praises John Boehner for blocking larger relief bill for Hurricane Sandy victims

More than two months after Superstorm Sandy struck, the House failed to pass a $60 billion for disaster relief



Instead $9.7 billion was approved for flood insurance claims



Chris Christie called the decision 'disgusting,' but conservative commentator Krauthammer said Boehner had done the right thing

Influential conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer has praised Republican House Speaker John Boehner for preventing a ‘rape of the Treasury’ by blocking a larger relief bill for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.



Bohener and the GOP leadership have been criticized by New York-area Republicans for failing to pass a $60 billion bill to the floor, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie calling it ‘disgusting.’



Instead, the House passed a much smaller bill dealing solely with flood insurance on Friday, with a larger bill set to follow.



Fox News' commentator Charles Krauthammer praised John Boehner, claiming he had prevented a 'rape of the Treasury'

More than two months after Superstorm Sandy struck, the House and Senate Friday approved $9.7 billion to pay flood insurance claims. The vote came days after Republicans erupted over House Speaker John Boehner's decision to delay the vote

Speaking on Fox News’ Special Report on Friday, Krauthammer claimed that Boehner had done the right thing. ‘I think what Boehner did in postponing the vote until today was absolutely right,’ he said.



‘That was a rape of the Treasury. $60 billion, including a ton of pork. The part that was essential that passed today was to replenish the flood insurance. That's right, and the rest ought to be debated in regular order.’



More than two months after Superstorm Sandy struck, the House and Senate Friday approved $9.7 billion to pay flood insurance claims for the many home and business owners flooded out by the storm.

Friday morning, the House voted 354 - 67 for the bill, just days after Republicans erupted over House Speaker John Boehner's decision to delay a vote earlier in the week; all of the no votes were cast by Republicans. The Senate was passed the bill Friday afternoon.

'It's the right step,' said Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

The bill gives more borrowing authority to the National Flood Insurance Program to pay about 115,000 pending Sandy-related claims as well as about 5,000 claims unrelated to Sandy.



A worker uses a bulldozer to push debris from Superstorm Sandy into a large pile in Lavallette N.J. Friday, Jan. 4, 2012, shortly before Congress voted to approve aid for storm victims A beach front home that was severely damaged two months ago by Superstorm Sandy rests in the sand in Bay Head, New Jersey

Northeast lawmakers say the money is urgently needed for victims of one of the worst storms ever to strike the region.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had warned that the National Flood Insurance Program would run out of money next week if Congress didn't provide additional borrowing authority to pay out claims.

Congress created the FEMA-run program in 1968 because few private insurers cover flood damage.

The flood insurance measure is the first phase of a proposed Sandy aid package.

Boehner agreed to Friday's vote after the controversy over delaying House action on a broader Sandy aid package.

Under Boehner's new schedule, the House will vote January 15 on an additional $51 billion in recovery money.

Aid: The House of Representatives approved the $50.5 billion disaster relief package for those devastated by the storm in a 241-180 vote

Recovery: The Senate is expected to accept the measure but there have been concerns that the package does not do enough



The frustration, however, continued on both sides of the aisle on Friday, as lawmakers said the flood insurance infusion would do little to help the bulk of those suffering more than two months after the devastating October 29 storm.

SANDY'S WRATH: SCOPE OF SUPERSTORM AND FEMA FUNDING

FEMA's disaster relief fund still has about $4.3billion, enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring, according to officials.

The unspent FEMA money can only be used for emergency services. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are receiving federal FEMA aid. Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges.

The storm damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey.

In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected. 'It took only 10 days after Katrina for President Bush to sign $60 billion in Katrina aid,' said New Jersey Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell, referring to the 2005 hurricane that devastated the Gulf Coast. 'How dare you come to this floor and make people think everything is OK.' Senate action on that measure is expected the following week; financially strapped local governments are awaiting the money. Northeast lawmakers say the money is urgently needed for storm victims awaiting claim checks from the late October storm, which was one of the worst ever to strike the Northeast, ravaging the coast from North Carolina to Maine, with the most severe flooding occurring in Atlantic City, N.J., New York City and Long Island and along the Connecticut coastline. 'People are waiting to be paid,' said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., whose district includes Atlantic City and many other coastal communities hard hit by the storm.

'They're sleeping in rented rooms on cots somewhere, and they're not happy. They want to get their lives back on track, and it's cold outside. They see no prospect of relief.' As with past natural disasters, the Sandy aid proposals do not provide for offsetting spending cuts. Some tea party House Republicans and other fiscal conservatives favor cutting other federal programs to pay for some or all disaster costs.

Bare bones: The supports for the boardwalk that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy can still be seen on the beach in the Rockaways The Club For Growth, a conservative group, on Friday urged lawmakers to oppose the bill, saying that Congress should only approve Sandy aid in installments to make sure the money is wisely spent and that any new Sandy aid should be offset with spending cuts elsewhere. 'Congress should not allow the federal government to be involved in the flood insurance industry in the first place, let alone expand the national flood insurance program's authority,' the group said in a statement. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., a fiscal conservative who voted against the flood bill, said he was among those with concerns about the budget deficit. 'We have to talk seriously about offsets,' Huelskamp said. 'We can't take $60 billion off budget, that's my problem with it.'