After a day of pressure and outrage from both Democrats and Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner and his deputy Majority Leader Eric Cantor say in a statement that the House will vote by the end of the week to direct resources to the National Flood Insurance Program in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

By Jan. 15, the House is expected to consider the remaining relief package for New York and New Jersey to aid flood-ravaged areas.

“Getting critical aid to the victims of Hurricane Sandy should be the first priority in the new Congress, and that was reaffirmed today with members of the New York and New Jersey delegations. The House will vote Friday to direct needed resources to the National Flood Insurance Program. And on January 15th, the first full legislative day of the 113th Congress, the House will consider the remaining supplemental request for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.”

The Republican-led House had declined to approve a package of relief aid that already passed the Democratic-led U.S. Senate, a development that angered Republican members from New Jersey and New York, along with the states’ governors, Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo.

Rep. Michael Grimm, a Staten Island Republican, said in a statement he “completely disagreed” with the decision to not hold the vote until Jan. 15, but said he was glad the measure was moving forward.

“Although I completely disagreed with the Speaker’s decision to delay the long, overdue vote, I never questioned his personal desire to help NY, NJ and the thousands of people suffering from the devastation of Sandy. In the end, after a slight delay, we will deliver and my office will continue to work relentlessly on individual casework for our friends and neighbors throughout Staten Island that have showed remarkable resilience and an overwhelming sense of community.”

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