(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: YouTube)

Hurricane Sandy has apparently brought together a pair of borough presidents who previously clashed over pop sensation Lady Gaga. The last time we saw Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer mentioned in the same breath, they had a tiff over Mr. Molinaro's claim that Ms. Gaga was "a slut." Now, they have teamed up for post-Sandy relief work in Staten Island.

In later September, Mr. Molinaro went off on Ms. Gaga after she smoked marijuana on stage in Amsterdam. At an anti-drug event a few days later, Mr. Molinaro had harsh words for the singer, declaring, “To me, she's not an actress, she is a slut, in the pure, in the pure meaning of the word."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who is friendly with Ms. Gaga's family took offense, however, and rushed to defend the singer's honor.

“Lady Gaga’s work is a symbol of individuality and artistic expression. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is a social justice activist and a real leader for marriage equality in this country,” he told us. “And no matter which continent Gaga happens to be in today, she remains an Upper West Sider at heart.”

Mr. Stringer, a potential candidate for mayor in 2013, was rewarded with a tweet from the star herself, praising his political integrity in front of her millions of followers.

However, in the wake of the hurricane, Mr. Molinaro and Mr. Stringer have apparently made peace. Today,  Politicker spotted a photo of the two borough presidents working together to deliver a few hundred blankets Mr. Stringer obtained from a private donor to Staten Islanders left in the cold by Hurricane Sandy. It looks like time--and storms, heals all wounds.

President Obama speaking today. (Photo: Getty)

Standing before a Red Cross in Washington D.C. earlier this afternoon, President Barack Obama praised response efforts in the face of Hurricane Sandy, singling out New York in particular.

"This storm is not yet over," Mr. Obama said to begin his address, labeling the hardship faced by the country as "extraordinary," adding, "Obviously this is something that is heartbreaking for the entire nation." According to the White House pool report, the president went on to say his "most important message" to those recovering from the storm's devastating aftermath was, "America is with you."

Mr. Obama also noted the special efforts taken after New York University's hospital shut down, requiring an emergency evacuation during the hurricane's height.

In the report, he touted New York City's “spirit" and "resilience," citing those at the hospital “carrying fragile newborns to safety" and the firefighters wading into deep waters during the ordeal.

A subsequent statement from Mr. Obama's press secretary, Jay Carney, said the president will travel to New Jersey tomorrow afternoon, "where he will join Governor Christie in viewing the storm damage, talking with citizens who are recovering from the storm and thanking first responders who put their lives at risk to protect their communities."

"Support the Sandy RELIEF EFFORT. Paid for by Romney for President, Inc." (Photo: Facebook)

With Election Day only a week away, President Barack Obama and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, can't afford to slow down much in terms of campaigning, but over the past 24 hours, their campaigns have both taken the time to ask for contributions to something that isn't their own war chests. For example, as Mr. Obama was boarding a plane to do some politicking in Orlando this evening, his campaign's deputy press secretary, Jen Psaki, made sure to note the president was also focused on the potential victims of Hurricane Sandy.

"We urge everyone to take appropriate safety precautions and to follow the guidance of emergency management and public safety officials, and we will continue to monitor the storm to ensure the safety of our supporters, volunteers and staff," she said, according to a recent pool report. "On Facebook, Twitter, and BarackObama.com, supporters are being invited to donate to the Red Cross to support the relief effort."

Indeed, on Mr. Obama's campaign website, there is a button in the lower-right that connects supporters to the Red Cross, and related messages were posted to his Facebook and Twitter pages. Also on Mr. Obama's Twitter account is one of those elusive tweets signed by the president himself, stating, "If you're on the Eastern seaboard, please make sure to follow the instructions of your state and local officials today. Stay safe. -bo."

For his part, Mr. Romney also recognized the storm and similarly directed his Twitter and Facebook followers to support the Red Cross.

In addition to its potentially serious winds and ocean surges, Sandy has had its inconveniences in the presidential race. Events along the Eastern Seaboard have been postponed for both campaigns, with the extra time usually allocated to the increasingly important State of Ohio.