Why the GOP is slowing aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy

Moving with uncustomary celerity, the Senate has put together a $60.4 billion emergency relief package for areas in the Northeast devastated by Hurricane Sandy, and could vote on the measure by the end of this week. The aid, based on a proposal submitted by President Obama, is supported by Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, both of whom claim that speed is of the essence when it comes to rebuilding the region. Republicans in the House, however, have other ideas, say Corey Boles and Andrew Grossman at The Wall Street Journal:

Some Republicans are reportedly skeptical that the bulk of the $60 billion falls into the category of "immediate need." A senior GOP official tells the Journal that the House's aid package will be "far smaller" than the Senate's proposal, which includes $15 billion to rebuild homes and other infrastructure, $6 billion to repair New York City's transit system, $12 billion for FEMA's disaster relief fund, and $5 billion for the Corps of Engineers. In addition, some House Republicans have demanded that the emergency spending "be offset by spending cuts to the rest of the budget," says Erik Wasson at The Hill:

He said a lot of Hurricane Katrina money was wasted.

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House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has yet to weight in on the issue, caught once again between conservatives in his caucus and demands for bipartisan action, which (it's so easy to forget) is how Congress used to greet crippling natural disasters.