Boehner supportive of Superstorm Sandy bill, says Rep. King

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is supportive of passing a bill to augment disaster funding to pay for Superstorm Sandy, Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) told The Hill Wednesday.

King said that he met with Boehner and that the Speaker said once the Federal Emergency Management Agency makes a formal request, the ball can get rolling — likely in the lame-duck session.

King said Boehner told him the new disaster aid would not need to be offset by spending cuts.

"That's what he said, yes" King said.

If more than $5 billion in new disaster aid is needed, the spending cap from the August debt-ceiling deal would be exceeded. That could be controversial with party conservatives who resisted spending for Hurricane Irene in 2011 without paying for it.

Boehner's office has not confirmed that the Speaker in fact supports aid without offsets.

King, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said the bill could go beyond FEMA to include transportation and other funding.

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