Cuomo, Christie: Sandy aid vote is good start

(AP) The governors of New Jersey and New York say Friday's vote by the U.S House to approve more than $9 billion in assistance for victims of Superstorm Sandy is a good start.

But they also want Congress to approve a much larger $51 billion package that's due for a vote Jan. 15.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a joint statement called Friday's vote a down payment on the full needs of their two states.

Christie is a Republican who excoriated the leadership of his own party in the House when it failed to bring an aid bill to a vote earlier this week.