Christe blames Boehner, House Republicans, for not voting on Sandy relief funds 1-2-2013

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(Gallery by Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie lashed out today at the "callous indifference" of House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders for putting off a vote Tuesday night on a $60.4 billion package to finance the region's recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

"It’s why the American people hate Congress," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference in which he ripped into Boehner, the nation’s top-ranking elected Republican.

Less than an hour later, Republican members of Congress from New Jersey and New York emerged from a meeting with Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and announced the speaker was committed to passing legislation Friday to provide $9 billion for flood insurance. The rest of the aid would come up for a vote by Jan. 15, they said.

But some Democratic members of Congress said they feared the delay would bring about complications.

"This will not be done by the 16th of January, and God knows when it will be done," Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist) predicted.

At his news conference, Christie accused Boehner and other House Republicans of "duplicity" and of using suffering residents as "pawns on a chessboard" — though he praised Cantor for his role in trying to get the legislation passed.

The New York Daily News, citing anonymous sources, said Boehner withdrew the bill to get back at Cantor for voting against compromise legislation to head off a fiscal crisis.

Christie dismissed the refusal to take up the aid package as an example of "toxic politics" and "palace intrigue," and said he felt betrayed by congressional leaders who had assured him as late as 9 o’clock Tuesday night that the House would vote on the legislation, which had already been passed by the Senate.

He said that after receiving those assurances, the speaker did not return four of his phone calls.

"There’s only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: the House majority and their speaker, John Boehner," said Christie, who only four months ago delivered the keynote address at the Republican National Convention.

The two men spoke today, but Christie declined to disclose what they talked about. "There is no reason for me at the moment to believe anything they tell me," he said.

Christie complained that New Jersey and New York taxpayers contribute more than their fair share to the federal government and that the states’ congressional delegations have always been generous when it came to other states’ recovering from natural disasters.

"Thirty-one days for Andrew victims. Seventeen days for victims of Gustav and Ike. Ten days for victims of Katrina," Christie said. "For the victims of Sandy in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, it’s been 66 days, and the wait continues."

Even as he ripped into members of his own party, Christie said President Obama had called to "assure me of his continued support," and he praised the efforts of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), with whom he had an almost no relationship before the storm.

Christie’s outrage was equalled by members of Congress from New Jersey and New York.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) went so far as to urge New York and New Jersey residents not to donate to the political campaigns of House Republicans — although his tone grew conciliatory after meeting with Boehner.

In a joint statement, Boehner and Cantor said "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 delegations."

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who sat in on the meeting with them said they had "unprecedented solidarity" for getting the legislation passed.

Democrats were not convinced there would be swift action on the aid package.

"Like most New Jerseyans, I’m fed up with the House Republican leadership’s inaction to provide the relief we need," Menendez said. "Speaker Boehner’s unnecessary delay of votes on Sandy relief is hurting the recovery.

He said that latest proposal "only happened after the most outspoken Republicans twisted their arms all day."

"Apparently, thousands of people who lost homes, businesses, and jobs didn’t give House Republican leaders enough motivation to do the right and act as quickly as possible," Mendnez said.

And Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) said the speaker — perhaps afraid Republicans from the tea party contingent would vote him out of the leadership — had taken a simple and important financing bill and made it a complicated mess.

"The problem is it’s nine weeks and we still don’t have this money," Pallone said. "Now he’s talking about three different votes, three different parts, three different days. We don’t know what the Senate’s going to do. I think the earliest you could see this on the president’s desk is February. Maybe not. Maybe March."

RELATED COVERAGE

• Christie, Cuomo blast Congress over delay in voting for Sandy relief bill

• N.J. Congressmen furious that Sandy relief package was not voted on

• U.S. Senate approves $60.4B Hurricane Sandy aid bill

• Christie: Sandy recovery depends on Congress fully funding Obama's $60B request

