King was joined in his condemnation by Ohio Rep. Steve LaTourette, who slammed his Republican colleagues, calling lawmakers who opposed the relief “chuckleheads.” But House Oversight and Government Reform Chair Darrell Issa defended the move, arguing the measure was filled with pork.

“Your two senators packed this with pork,” Issa said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends,” which airs from New York City, referring to Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. “They had the opportunity to have a $27 [billion] to $30 billion dollar legit relief package, packed it with pork, then dared us not to vote on it.”

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reset Issa: Sandy bill filled with pork

“The Senate didn’t do their job,” he added. “They sent us a bunch of pork and then left town, and that was just wrong. And the speaker has the support of the majority of Republicans that if we’re going to provide relief, we can’t allow it to be doubled with unrelated pork no matter where the relief is. And the relief will come early next year but it will come at the $27 billion level or I don’t expect to be voting for it.”

Some of the bill’s spending has little connection to Sandy. There’s $150 million in aid for fisheries in Alaska, which is more than 3,300 miles away; $2 million for a new roof for the Smithsonian and $8 million for equipment for the Homeland Security and Justice departments.

Gillibrand accused both Issa and House Speaker John Boehner of lacking “the dignity and guts” to tell New Yorkers the aid they need is pork.

“This is a sad and cruel joke,” she said in a statement. “House leadership insulted all New Yorkers last night and now Rep. Issa is at it again. He should come to Staten Island and tell families trying to rebuild their businesses that this money is pork. He should come to the Rockaways and tell families trying to rebuild their homes that this money is pork. But neither Speaker Boehner or Rep. Issa have the dignity nor the guts to do it. As Republicans have said, what happened last night was indefensible and shameful.”

Schumer similarily challenged Issa to meet with New Yorkers and disputed the Californian’s characterization of spending as “pork,” arguing most of the extraneous spending had been stripped from the House version of the bill.

“What Darrell Issa is calling pork is a mainstay of relief,” Schumer said at a press conference Wednesday in New York, pointing to direct aid to homeowners and funding for Army Corps of Engineers projects as examples.

Schumer also took aim at Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, for arguing the relief funds weren’t immediately needed. Schumer said homeowners and small business need aid guaranteed before banks will lend them funds necessary for rebuilding.

“Harold Rogers said there was no pressing need for the aid,” Schumer said. “And that is infuriating.”