(Photo: Getty)

Congressman Pete King was not pleased with his fellow Republicans who opposed the federal Hurricane Sandy relief package. Accordingly, Mr. King told us he was shocked to learn that Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who's widely seen as a potential 2016 presidential contender, has been raising cash on Wall Street after voting against the Sandy bill.

"Being from New York we're not supposed to be suckers," Mr. King told Politicker this morning. "It's bad enough that these guys voted against it, that's inexcusable enough. But to have the balls to come in and say, 'We screwed you now make us president?'"

Mr. King went on to urge Empire State donors to cut off Mr. Rubio and any other member of Congress who "threw a knife in the back in New York" by voting "no" on the bill.

"Rubio and these other Republican candidates are coming to New York to raise money," he said. "I don't think any senator or congressman who voted against aid for Sandy should get one nickel from New York."

Mr. King, of course, wasn't the only Republican to criticize House Republicans for initially blocking the aid. Notably, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared that the cynicism involved was "why the American people hate Congress." In his conversation with Politicker, Mr. King connected the Conservative Political Action Conference's recent snub of Mr. Christie to the Sandy vote.

"They are more and more taking on this anti-Northeast attitude," Mr. King said of his party. "We say fine, if you want to be anti-Northeast, then the Northeast is going to be anti-them."

(Photo: Getty)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who previously declined to slam House Speaker John Boehner over Congress' stalled Hurricane Sandy aid, took his argument to the next level this morning and suggested federal lawmakers are partially to blame for the delay in the vote on the package because they insert "things that are totally extraneous" into bills such as this. Although Mr. Bloomberg didn't specify the extraneous problem items, the legislation has been criticized by Republicans like Rep. Paul Ryan for being “packed with funding for unrelated items, such as commercial fisheries in American Samoa and roof repair of museums in Washington, D.C.”

"There's this 'Christmas Tree effect' where legislators put in their favorite bills and tack them onto something. The [Obama] administration does that, that's why you have an omnibus bill--to force everybody to vote for things that would never stand up in the light of day if they were individual," Mr. Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show with John Gambling. “I'm sympathetic. Yelling and screaming at [Mr. Boehner] is just not my style. It may be effective, it may not be. Everybody's got to make their own decisions. I think the legislative leaders who criticize and those in the Legislature should stop and think, they do exactly the same thing in terms of ladling on things that are totally extraneous but it's the only way they get them through."

Mr. Bloomberg's relatively subdued stance places him at odds with the overwhelming majority of the politicians in the New York region in recent days, with one exception in the form of Councilman Dan Halloran. But while name-checking several politicians, including Governors Andrew Cuomo and Christie Christie, as well as Congressman Pete King, who "worked hard" on the bill but have subsequently vented loudly at Mr. Boehner, Mr. Bloomberg reiterated that it's simply not his "style."

The mayor further expressed optimism that the bill would get done, as well as an understanding for why Mr. Boehner decided not to hold a vote on it earlier this week.

"Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor I've talked to thousands and thousands--it seems like thousands and thousands--of times, both assure me that the bills will come up. We believe there are the votes there to pass it," he said. "It'll have to go back to the Senate but the votes are there to pass it. It'll come a few weeks later than I would have liked. But, you know, it's easy to go criticize the guy. Running a legislature, as anyone that's ever done it will tell you, it is not easy....It's herding cats. They just passed a big tax bill with a lot of dissension about no spending cuts and I assume that the Speaker thought it was not a good time at that night to bring up a $60 billion bill....All that matters is that we get it done. And I think this will get done."

(Photo: Getty)

Governor Chris Christie is angry.

In addition to a statement blasted out earlier today, New Jersey's outspoken governor held a press conference this afternoon where he said Speaker John Boehner's sudden decision to halt a vote on the Hurricane Sandy relief package exemplifies "why the American people hate Congress."

"Thirty-one days for Andrew victims. Seventeen days for victims of Gustav and Ike. Ten days for victims of Katrina," Mr. Christie said, ticking off how long it took for Congress to pass relief after other natural disasters. "For the victims of Sandy in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, there's been sixty-six days and the wait continues. There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: the House Majority and their speaker, John Boehner....Last night, politics was placed before our oath to serve our citizens. For me, it was disappointing and disgusting to watch."

Mr. Christie, a Republican like Mr. Boehner, went on to describe the House's GOP majority as "selfish" and "toxic."

"It just could not overcome the toxic, internal politics of the House Majority," Mr. Christie said of the bill. "Americans are tired of the palace intrigue and political partisanship of this Congress, which places one-upmanship ahead of the lives of the citizens who sent these people to Washington D.C. in the first place. New Jerseyans and New Yorkers are tired of being treated like second-class citizens. New York deserves better than the selfishness we saw on display last night. New Jersey deserves better than the duplicity we saw last night. America deserves better than yet another example of a government that has forgotten who they are there to serve and why. Sixty-six days and counting. Shame on you. Shame on Congress. "

Asked afterwards if he understood why the vote had been canceled, Mr. Christie said he was left completely in the dark.

"I was given no explanation," he said. "I was called at 11:20 last night by Leader Cantor and was told that he was told authority for the vote was pulled by the Speaker. Our delegation asked for a meeting with the Speaker at the time; they were refused. I called the Speaker four times last night after 11:20 and he did not take my calls....There's no reason for me to believe anything they tell me, because they've been telling me stuff for weeks. And they didn't deliver."

Update (3:09 p.m.): Here's the video:

Breezy Point, Queens after the storm, on October 30th. (Photo: Getty)

Unsurprisingly, the governors of the two states most ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, New Yorker's Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey's Chris Christie, are not pleased with the Republican leadership in House of Representatives after they decided to not take up relief legislation last night. To emphasize their displeasure, the two released a joint statement criticizing the chamber for the move.

"With all that New York and New Jersey and our millions of residents and small businesses have suffered and endured, this continued inaction and indifference by the House of Representatives is inexcusable," they said. "It has now been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy hit and 27 days since President Obama put forth a responsible aid proposal that passed with a bi-partisan vote in the Senate while the House has failed to even bring it to the floor. This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented. The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty. When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night."

The statement added, "The people of our states can no long afford to wait while politicians in Washington play games."

Mr. Christie, a Republican, and Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, are joined in their criticism by local officials of both parties throughout their two states, as well as House Democrats like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

(Photo: Getty)

In the wake of the House of Representatives' failed vote on Hurricane Sandy relief, Congressman Pete King has gone rogue.

“These Republicans have no problem finding New York when they’re out raising millions of dollars,” Mr. King said on Fox News this morning. “They’re in New York all the time filling their pockets with money from New Yorkers. I’m saying right now, anyone from New York or New Jersey who contributes one penny to congressional Republicans is out of their minds. Because what they did last night was put a knife in the back of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans. It was an absolute disgrace."

Mr. King went on to almost describe himself as a Republican without a conference in the GOP-controlled chamber.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m on my own,” he said. “They’re going to have to go a long way to get my vote on anything.”

Mr. King, who represents a Long Island district hard-hit by Sandy's path, was hardly the only legislator to rage at his party over the situation either.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that I stand here almost in disbelief and somewhat ashamed,” Staten Island Republican Michael Grimm said. “I am here tonight saying to myself for the first time that I am not proud of the decision that my team has made.”

Many New York and New Jersey Democrats piled on as well, using words like "unconscionable," "ashamed," and "disgusting."

(Photo: Getty)

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is keeping an eye on the assorted charities raising money for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. In a statement released today, Mr. Schneiderman announced he sent a letter to 75 Sandy-focused nonprofits requesting information on their fundraising and spending activities, which he intends to post online.

"Our office commends all of the charities, and their volunteers and donors, who have come to the assistance of New Yorkers after Hurricane Sandy," Mr. Schneiderman said in the press release. "In light of the importance of the recovery efforts, and the enormous amount of money raised in such a short period of time, it is critical that donors know where their money is going, and that funds are spent responsibly. In the name of transparency and accountability, we must ensure that funds raised for Hurricane Sandy relief are used for that purpose."

Mr. Schneidman previously busted a local breast cancer charity for allegedly pocketing most of their contributions with internal overhead costs. In order to ward off similar incidences in the name of another noble cause, he requested the following information from the Sandy-related nonprofits:

-The amount raised and spent to date for Hurricane Sandy relief;
-Whether donations will be used solely for Hurricane Sandy relief;
-The services provided to date to those affected by Hurricane Sandy;
-Whether the charity is providing funding to other organizations, or making direct financial grants to individuals, families or businesses;
-What the charity plans to do with any surplus funds.

And, noting they planned to request information from additional organizations, Mr. Schneiderman's office provided a list of charities contacted so far:

AARP Foundation
Acupuncturists Without Borders
Afya Foundation
All Hands Volunteers
American Humane Association
American Red Cross
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
AmeriCares Foundation, Inc.
Best Friends Animal Society
B’nai B’rith International
Breezy Point Hurricane Sandy Relief
Brooklyn Recovery Fund
Brother's Brother Foundation
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
Catholic Charities Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, Inc.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Children's Hunger Fund
Church World Service
City Harvest
Citymeals-on-Wheels
Convoy of Hope
Direct Relief International
Disaster Chaplaincy Services
Emergency Children's Help Organization
Empire State Relief Fund
Episcopal Relief & Development
Feed the Children
Food Bank for New York City
Gleaning For The World
Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc.
Graybeards
Habitat for Humanity International
Heart to Heart International
Hispanic Federation
Hope for the Warriors
Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation
ICNA Relief
International Rescue Committee
Islamic Relief USA
Jewish Disaster Response Corps
Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc.
Liberty Street Relief Fund
MAP International
Matthew 25 Ministries
Modest Needs Foundation
Movement for Peace
National Firefighters Endowment
National Urban League
New York Cares
New York Communities for Change
Occupy Sandy
Operation Blessing International
Rebuilding Together
Rebuilding Together NYC
Red Hook Initiative
Robert R. McCormick Foundation
Robin Hood Foundation
Samaritan's Purse
Save the Children Federation Inc.
ShelterBox USA
Staten Island Strong
Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation
Team Rubicon
The Humane Society of the United States
The Jewish Federations of North America, Inc.
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
The New York City Coalition Against Hunger
The Salvation Army
UJA-Federation of New York
United Methodist Committee on Relief
United Way of Long Island
United Way of New York City
Waves For Water
We Care NYC
World Vision International

(Photo: Getty)

Earlier today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg formally petitioned the federal government for billions of dollars in financial assistance to help cover the costs incurred from the fatal winds and storm surge that came with Hurricane Sandy last month. However, when he was asked about the request at the end of an unrelated press conference today, Mr. Bloomberg sounded skeptical that he'd get what he asked for.

"I'm always optimistic," he said this afternoon. "I always believe that we're going to win. I still think we're going to get that stadium on the West Side. I still think that we're going to get the 2012 Olympics. I'm always an optimist and never give in."

Of course, Mr. Bloomberg was joking about the two proposals his administration unsuccessfully campaigned for. This year's Olympics went to London the West Side Stadium plans were scuttled years ago.

Other elected officials also sounded concerned with how much federal aid will ultimately arrive.

“Make no mistake, this will not be an easy task, particularly given the impending fiscal cliff, and a Congress that has been much less friendly to disaster relief than in the past," Senator Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "We will work with the Administration on supplemental legislation, to be introduced in the upcoming December session of Congress, that will set us on the road to meeting New York's needs. This will be an effort that lasts not weeks, but many months, and we will not rest until the federal response meets New York's deep and extensive needs.”

(Photo: Getty)

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, properties throughout the city's flooded neighborhoods saw critical infrastructure collapse along with everything else in the storm's path. However, four weeks after the storm Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn't interested in hearing any more excuses from landlords who haven't restored heat and electricity. At a press conference this afternoon, he announced these landlords will face "enforcement proceedings" should these critical services remain absent from their properties.

"I won't even take this question," Mr. Bloomberg at an afternoon press conference when asked what these proceedings will entail. "We're expecting everybody to cooperate. This is New York, I'm sure there's going to be somebody who doesn't and then we're going to worry about it. You have an obligation to maintain your rental units in a safe manner. If you don't, you're breaking the law."

Along with his tough talk, the mayor noted struggling landlords in affected areas do have a lifeline as they can sign up for the NYC Rapid Repairs program to receive government-provided repairs. The mayor said this process simply needs to be handled expeditiously.

"We'll get to that very quickly," he said of the deadline for property owners. "Our hope is that everybody will sign up and the tenants will push the landlords to do so and that the landlords will do so because it's in their own interest! They're going to have a tough time collecting rent if they don't do something to get heat, water and electricity back."

(Photo: Getty)

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, a likely mayoral candidate in 2013, can now be counted as a firm critic of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's handling of Hurricane Sandy.

"You remember the recent diplomatic phrase, 'leading from behind,'" Mr. de Blasio mused on Assemblyman Dov Hikind's radio show last night. "I think many times the mayor was not exactly on the front line. He was no Chris Christie, let's say that."

New York voters actually rated New Jersey's governor extremely favorably in a recent survey on the topic, so Mr. de Blasio's comment didn't exactly come out of left field. After Mr. Hikind, a frequent critic of Mr. Bloomberg's, accused the mayor of being "afraid" to go to the communities struggling in the storm's aftermath, Mr. de Blasio concurred and elaborated.

"He showed a tremendous unwillingness to be where the people were and where people were in need," he explained. "I went to the city and I said a lot of our seniors in the big buildings--whether it was public housing, whether it was the Mitchell-Lama buildings down in Coney Island and other areas--a lot of them went one week, two weeks, more without heat or hot water. No one from the city ever came to knock on the door. No one ever came to check to make sure they could get their medications when electricity was out, pharmacies were closed. So the mayor's attitude was very much hands-off."

In Mr. Bloomberg's defense, over the past couple weeks he repeatedly toured the damage and held press conferences in hard-hit neighborhoods. Additionally, the mayor did launch a program of medical teams going door-to-door in high-rise buildings, but Mr. de Blasio argued their outreach was insufficient.

Regardless, Mr. de Blasio's criticism reflects a new political reality that the 2013 mayoral race is underway again after the weather-induced hiatus. Indeed, one of his chief electoral rivals, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, went on Mr. Hikind's show last week to similarly allege Mr. Bloomberg hasn't spent enough time "being out there" in the city.

"It could be very, very soon," Mr. de Blasio said of next year's campaign. "Attention is starting to turn. Understandably, the attention has rightfully been on the hurricane and its aftermath in the last few weeks. But I think in the coming weeks, particularly when we get into the new year, attention is going to turn very intensely to the fact that we're going to choose a new mayor. We're going to choose a new leader after what will be 12 years of Michael Bloomberg. As you and I would be the first to say, some joys and sorrows in the Bloomberg years. I think, for many people, particularly in the outer boroughs, [there's] a real sense that City Hall is not paying enough attention to our neighborhoods. For many, many people in this community--and I'm thinking about what happened with childcare vouchers, among many other issues--a sense of really being left behind. This is going to be a chance to debate where we need to go as a city, which I look forward to."

(photo: itechbook.net)

Senator Chuck Schumer is known for pushing populist issues that may have otherwise flown under the radar, and last weekend, he didn't disappoint. In a letter to the  Federal Communications Commission last weekend, Mr. Schumer called on the agency to develop a nationwide plan to improve cell phone service in the aftermath of natural disasters. Earlier today, Mr. Schumer announced the FCC would at least give the New York area a better look by holding field hearings early next year on the issue.

"Field hearings will increase our understanding of the problems encountered during Superstorm Sandy and harvest the best ideas to ensure that mobile phone service doesn't fail after future storms," Mr. Schumer said in a statement. "Mobile communication has become an essential part of our lives, and increasing its reliability must be a top priority. I'd like to thank Chairman Genachowski and the FCC for their good work during the storm, and for beginning to tackle this important issue so quickly after."

According to the FCC, the field hearings will focus on the following issues:

Sandy was an event for which communications providers had substantial advance notice.
-To what extent did service providers take advantage of this advance notice to stage communications assets such as portable cell sites to reduce the effects of the storm?
-To what extent did service providers notify consumers of their communications options in advance of the storm?

There were several instances where communications providers worked together to share resources to improve communications performance during Sandy.
-How can service providers best work together by sharing resources, such as cell sites, WiFi networks and transmission facilities? What can the Commission do to facilitate this? In what ways can these arrangements be made in advance so that they are in place when disaster strikes?

Our communications systems are increasingly reliant on electric power, both for the infrastructure and in homes and businesses: e.g., to power consumers’ mobile and home communications devices and equipment, communications companies’ central offices and cell sites, and broadcasters’ transmitters and studios:
-What level of service is needed and expected during emergencies and for what modes of communications?
-When commercial power is unavailable, how long should back-up power sources be expected to last?
-Over the years there have been many developments in back-up power practices and technology for use in communications networks. What technologies and practices are in use today and how do they affect the ability of communications service providers to maintain service during power outages? What technologies, actions, practices or requirements should be considered to help improve the availability of power?
-What challenges exist to the deployment of back-up power solutions? What cost, safety and environmental issues need to be taken into account and are there different challenges to deploying back-up power solutions for small carriers and to service in urban, suburban, and rural areas, and tribal lands?
-To what extent is back-up power provided for equipment in the home? What can be done to improve consumer awareness of the limits of any back-up battery power that may be available when commercial power fails and what can be done to improve upon these limitations?
-What capabilities do communications providers offer their customers to alleviate disruptions to communications services during an emergency, or to help maintain back-up power supplies for Internet and cable access? For example, what kinds of solutions are made available to customers to help them charge devices like cell phones?

In addition to back-up power, transport connectivity between cell sites and other network nodes failed, resulting in disruptions to wireless communications:
-How can transport, interconnection, and switching be made more reliable in disasters and less vulnerable to floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, blizzards and other damage? What other interdependencies are there that should be reduced and how?
-What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of different backhaul technologies in terms of technical feasibility, vulnerability, reliability and cost effectiveness, e.g., microwave backhaul versus fiber, and does this vary with respect to aerial or buried plans and different types of terrain? What relative resiliency and reliability characteristics would these or other technologies have in different emergency situations, such as loss of primary grid power or major physical damage to network equipment or other infrastructure?
-How can backhaul redundancy across multiple providers be ensured when communications service providers lease backhaul facilities from other companies?

Emergency communications, particularly 9-1-1 communications networks, generally remained operational during Sandy.
-What obstacles are there to connect to and receive emergency help and what technologies and actions might help? Are there unique obstacles for the elderly or people with disabilities that affect their use and access to communications regarding emergency services?

Communications services took days to recover after Sandy. This not only includes service availability, but service availability at full performance.
-How can the restoration of communications services proceed faster or services remain operational longer? For example, how would changes in availability and prioritization of fuel or other power sources such as generators help, and how could these changes be brought about? How could communications providers be enabled with improved access to important sites like studios, transmitters, central offices, cell sites, public rights-of-way. Should specialized “boomer” cell sites be deployed?
-Why would services, once restored, perform at levels inferior to those customarily enjoyed by users? How long can these performance degradations be expected to last?
-How do communications providers prioritize services and applications during a disaster in which bandwidth is constrained? How are these priorities communicated to users so they can make most effective use of their communications services?
-How has the introduction of broadband technologies into commercial communications networks made them more or less resilient to major weather events like Sandy?
-Do the elderly and people with disabilities, and other communities, have needs that require additional attention?

Users of communications services appear to lack information about the performance of the services they pay for.
-Do consumers have enough access to information about their communications services during emergencies? What additional information would help consumers? For example, would it help consumers to know the performance and reliability of the companies’ service or devices as compared to competitors during past emergencies?

General observations.
-What steps can be taken to connect people better and more effectively to each other and to information in emergencies, via mobile, landline, satellite, broadcast, cable, social media or otherwise, and are there any laws or regulations that may require changing to accomplish this?
What role can libraries, community centers and schools play as temporary communication centers? How can service providers help them serve that role more effectively?