After wondering aloud about his absence last week, federal lawmakers got their visit from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday, and they’ll get another from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday as the governors start the heavy lobbying to get aid to their storm-hit states. Cuomo has said New York needs a total of $42 billion while Christie says New Jersey needs $36.8 billion. It was Cuomo’s first official trip to the capital since he became governor, the New York Times reports, and he came away “optimistic,” according to The Wall Street Journal. House Speaker John Boehner “agreed to support the passage of some sort of supplemental appropriations bill by the end of the year,” the Journal reports, while Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, said “I’m going to step up,” after New York supported aid for her state in the wake of Katrina. To put this money into perspective, the Journal points out that “Mr. Cuomo’s $42 billion request alone is larger than the amount the Obama administration requested for the Department of Homeland Security this year.” Good thing Christie was so nice about the federal response so far.
