Many New Jersey and New York officials are upset that Republican leaders in the House of Representatives didn’t allow a vote on a bill that would give financial relief in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Sen. Bob Menendez told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that New Jerseyans deserve the help after the natural disaster and said if relief doesn’t come soon, legislators in the House who introduce legislation may see it die in the Senate.
Blocking a vote on the relief bill is unprecedented, according to Menendez. “Never before has this country walked away from its obligation to help Americans in the wake of a natural disaster,” he said. “But that’s exactly what the House Republican leadership told New Jersey and New York.”
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Menendez believes there would have been enough support in the House to pass the measure if a vote had been allowed. He said the measure had strong bipartisan support in the Senate after going through 25 amendments. Govs. Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo, along with the Obama administration and the Office of Management and Budget also vetted the proposed legislation, according to Menendez.
While he said he’s unsure if the action comes from a bias against the northeast or some other reason, he said the rules have seemingly changed for disaster relief.
The Senator said he has supported relief efforts for people in other parts of the country and expects his colleagues to do the same. If not, he said there will be consequences. “Now I appreciate in the Senate that did happen, but in the House of Representatives, if it’s not going to happen, if they send stuff over to the Senate, it’s not going to see the light of day unless they change their attitude,” Menendez said.
During a press conference today, Christie praised Menendez for his work on the relief bill. Menendez said he appreciated the compliments and that Christie spoke out.
“We worked together hand in hand throughout the whole process to make sure when there were questions we got it answered. We were very transparent, we worked hand in glove on behalf of the people of New Jersey,” Menendez said. “I appreciate him calling it the way he sees it.”