The Chatter: Hal Rogers banned from New York? And more ...

Kentucky U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Somerset is not popular at the moment with his colleagues from New York after comments he made about not taking up a bill to provide aid to areas affected this fall by Hurricane Sandy.

Rogers, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, had said the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund still has money to last for at least two months. Therefore, he said, there wasn’t urgent need for the House to pass a bill with additional relief that the Senate already passed.

In an interview with CNN Republican Congressman Peter King of New York said that Rogers didn’t know what he was talking about in terms of FEMA funding.

“Hal Rogers can play his game, he can suck up to the Republican speaker if he wants to, but he should stay out of New York. Stay out of New York, Hal, raise your money down in Kentucky,” King said in the interview.

Rogers’ press secretary said Rogers had no response to King’s comments.

UPDATED 1/4/2012: On Friday, a spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee said King retracted that statement.

The next Congress could take up the measure again but it would have to start from scratch.

Sen. Robert Stivers married in private ceremony
State Sen. Robert Stivers of Manchester — who is expected to become Senate president next week — tied the knot last week, according to a press release.

Stivers married Regina Crawford in a private family ceremony on Friday, Dec. 28.

Crawford works as a field representative for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.