On Wednesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg went down to Capitol Hill to try to convince Congress to approve billions of dollars in aid for New York City’s Hurricane Sandy recovery. The already tough task was made all the more difficult by the absence of Governor Andrew Cuomo, who “prompted a degree of puzzlement” among lawmakers by skipping the trip, despite having estimated that the storm did $42 billion-worth of damage to his state. However, some not-so-subtle hinting from New York senator Chuck Schumer (among others) seems to have convinced Cuomo to make the journey to D.C. to personally plead New York’s case on Monday. While the presence of Cuomo, a Democrat, is intended as something of a bow to the Republican-controlled House, the massive request could still be rejected, what with the fiscal cliff still looming. Either way, political observers will be watching Cuomo’s visit to the capital — his first since becoming governor two years ago — closely, as many believe he is planning a 2016 presidential bid.
