the senate passed it last week. everybody expected it was going to get done because he said it was going to get done. and then he just walked away without explanation, without warning, and without anybody having any idea what he was thinking. chaos. joining us now is charles schumer. he is the senior senator from new york. he is a democrat. he is a member of the finance committee. senator schumer, thank you for being here. >> good evening. >> the senate obviously passed the bill for sandy relief. it was a surprise when the house did not. we're now hearing that the house will get it to later on this month. is that -- is that good enough? >> well, we'll see. if we get the $60 billion by the end of january, it will certainly be relief that people need. but, remember, every week you wait is a problem. i was with homeowners in long beach. they have huge amounts of damage in their home. and they can't get a contractor to sign a contractor a bank to give them a construction loan until they know that there is money there from the federal government to back up those