Joe Crowley: “Last night the Republican leadership reneged on their commitment to vote on aid for the families in the States that were…”

“Last night the Republican leadership reneged on their commitment to vote on aid for the families in the States that were devastated by Superstorm Sandy. We were told it was because Republicans just couldn't stomach any additional votes in this Congress. I wonder if those same people walked along the beaches of Long Beach and Long Island, Breezy Point and Belle Harbor and Rockaway Beach in Greg Meeks's district, Staten Island or Seaside Heights in New Jersey; if they could stomach the devastation they would witness, stomach the lives that were lost, stomach the homes that have been destroyed or the families that have been displaced, stomach the businesses that are closed and, in many places, have been lost. In the weeks after the storm, my Republican colleagues told us--not all, by the way, and I want to point out that Mr. Grimm and Mr. King, Mr. Dold and others were very, very helpful--but the leadership, I'm talking about, told us they were with us and that they would support us. But I guess those were only words, because last night we learned the truth. And thanks to their actions, there's no additional Federal assistance to help hardworking people rebuild and restart their lives. Now, I'm not a cynic, but I do wonder, what if we told the Republicans that a few millionaires' and billionaires' lives were destroyed by the storm, whether they'd want to help all the families hurting because of Sandy?…”