Christie, Dem governors pen op-ed appealing for Sandy relief

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has teamed up with governors Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) and Dannel Malloy (D-Conn.) to call on Congress for more disaster relief.

They write in a triple bylined op-ed for the Washington Post:

Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina blew through the Gulf Coast in 2005, Congress approved more than $62 billion in federal aid. One month after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in 2008, Congress approved more than $20 billion in aid for storms that wrought $35 billion in damage. This marks the seventh week since Sandy made landfall. And Congress has yet to act.

We realize that our nation faces significant fiscal challenges, and we respect congressional leaders’ efforts to work with President Obama to achieve a resolution. As governors, we have had to make hard budget choices in the wake of the economic crisis and recession.

Yet our needs are real and immediate, and Congress must act — as it has so many times before — to assist our recovery and help us build back better and stronger than ever.