Damage repair in the Rockaways on Jan. 15. (Spencer Platt/Getty)
Maybe they were shamed into doing it by Jon Stewart? The Senate has scheduled a vote for Monday to allocate the rest of an aid package for the victims of superstorm Sandy. The $50 billion–plus package passed the House of Representatives last week, but has been held up in the Senate by Republican lawmakers, who have claimed it has too many unrelated amendments, or pork. The House speaker pulled a vote on the aid package during the last session of the 112th Congress, drawing heavy criticism from GOP darling New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as well as many irate New York and New Jersey residents. After the uproar, Congress passed a $9 billion flood-insurance bill and pledged to soon pass the rest of the aid package.
