South Carolina congressmen who voted against giving federal aid for storm relief to New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy are now asking for aid with their state ravaged by raging floods.

Despite the obvious irony, a congressman, senator and South Jersey mayor avoided taking shots at the South Carolina lawmakers. Others couldn’t be reached for comment.

“There is a reason we call this the United States of America, and that's because we'd respond to any fellow Americans who find themselves in the midst of tragedy as we see in South Carolina,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.

On Monday, Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said his state needs federal aid right away, and doesn’t care what it costs.

“Let's just get through this thing, and whatever it costs, it costs,” Graham told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

But Graham was one of 36 senators who cast “no” votes on a $50.5 billion Hurricane Sandy relief package in 2013. Many Republicans at the time opposed it because they said it spent too much on unrelated programs.

The presidential long shot then suffered a serious case of political amnesia, telling CNN that he didn’t remember voting against the Sandy aid.

“I'm all for helping the people in New Jersey. I don't really remember me voting that way,” Graham said.

Graham remembered on Tuesday, saying the no vote was because the aid package was a “pork fest,” referring to spending on unrelated items, according to The Washington Post.

Graham and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., along with five Republicans in the state’s House delegation voted against Sandy aid after the superstorm. In fact, just 49 of 232 House Republicans voted to provide the Sandy storm aid.

At the time, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C. said: “I wish very much that we could pass this and easily borrow the money without any questions whatsoever, but we've wasted that opportunity. We've mismanaged our own finances to the point where we are now no longer capable of taking care of our own.”

Jason Galanes, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., said the congressman is waiting to see exactly what South Carolina and its congressional delegation requests before weighing in. Galanes said LoBiondo empathizes with the South Carolina communities “as the scars from Superstorm Sandy still remain in South Jersey three years later.”

“Any request from South Carolina or other state impacted by a natural disaster should be subjected to the same scrutiny and rigorous oversight that New Jersey and its neighbors received in the aftermath of Sandy,” Galanes said.

Stafford Township Mayor John Spodofora said about 400 homes were damaged by Sandy, adding that it’s difficult if not impossible for most small towns to recover quickly without federal aid.

“The purpose of having (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and having FEMA aid available is to help communities in distress,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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