House GOP scraps vote on Sandy aid

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USA Today:

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio indicated late Tuesday the 112th Congress would end its term without voting on federal emergency aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

 

"The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month," Boehner's spokesman, Brendan Buck, said in an email.

 

Buck also emailed a news article reporting that Craig Fugate, head of the the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said his agency will not need additional money until spring.

Soon after that, a Boehner aide told Cantor's staff there would be no vote. The message was conveyed to Republican Rep. Peter King of Long Island, who represents the shore communities hard hit by Sandy.

 

King described the decision to walk away from a Sandy aid vote as inexcusable and wrong.

 

"I think it's unprecedented for the United States Congress to walk away from a natural disaster," King said, adding that he was not given a reason for the postponement. "This to me is just walking away from responsibility."