It was supposed to be the day everyone breathed easy after the House finally (if temporarily) staved off a fiscal nightmare. Then House Speaker John Boehner faced a torrent of criticism for shutting down a vote on a federal relief bill for Hurricane Sandy victims before the Congressional term finished, and by the time everyone headed home for the day, he appeared to have given in.

First New York Representative Peter King went off on television, followed by his local House GOP colleagues, and then New Jersey Governor Chris Christie brought the hammer, calling out Boehner for making the decision "alone."

But after the Speaker met with New York and New Jersey legislators in the late afternoon, King reported that Boehner has promised to bring a vote on the relief package in two parts: a $9 billion flood insurance bill on Friday, and the rest of the $51 billion in federal aid by January 15. Despite those promises in the closed-door meetings, Boehner apparently did not apologize for pulling the bill in the first place. 

Boehner is still expected to be re-elected as Speaker on Thursday, and King said the local representatives were, after a long, confusing and angry day, satisfied with the results of an issue that Christie said was "about human lives":

Rep. Pete King (R-NY) on #Sandy agreement for Friday after Boehner/Cantor meeting: We got what we feel necessary.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 2, 2013

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Alexander Abad-Santos