Bloomberg blames Congress for government shutdown

Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized Congress during his weekly radio address Sunday for hampering New Yorkers, particularly Sandy victims, by forcing a federal government shutdown.

The mayor said the city's 27,000 federal workers, the second-largest number of U.S. government employees outside of Washington, are now furloughed indefinitely. He added that the political limbo might also cause major delays and problems related to federal Sandy aid.

"Since the storm, the city has stopped at nothing to help New Yorkers and their communities recover from the greatest natural disaster in our history," Bloomberg said. "The federal government must bring the same urgency to this task."

The mayor said business owners and residents need to be in constant contact with federal workers to process their claims, and that affected New Yorkers will have to wait longer to receive grants.

Bloomberg also said Congress has yet to release the second set of Sandy relief funding, thus preventing projects that would help prepare for future storms.

"Unfortunately, unlike mayors, too many representatives in Washington act as if they can just take positions without considering the real-world consequences for real people," he said.

-- amNEWYORK