The US Congress yesterday approved $9.7 billion in initial relief for victims of Superstorm Sandy, but New York and New Jersey lawmakers seethed over delays in sending the rest of a $60.4 billion federal aid package.
The House of Representatives voted 354-67 to keep the National Flood Insurance Programme solvent and able to pay claims of thousands of homeowners who suffered flood damage in coastal New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from the October storm.
The Senate then quickly passed the measure by voice vote, and it now moves to President Barack Obama to be signed into law on his vacation in Hawaii.
US House Speaker John Boehner drew scathing criticism earlier this week – including blasts from Northeast Republicans – when he cancelled a House vote on the full $60.4 billion aid package passed by the Senate.
The frustration continued as lawmakers from both parties complained the flood insurance infusion would do little to help the bulk of those suffering more than two months after the devastating October 29 storm.
“It took only 10 days after Katrina for President (George W.) Bush to sign $60 billion in Katrina aid,” said New Jersey Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell, referring to the 2005 hurricane that devastated the Gulf Coast.
“How dare you come to this floor and make people think everything is OK.”
Boehner, re-elected on Thursday for another term as House speaker, cancelled the earlier vote on the full Sandy aid package amid Republican discontent over passage on Tuesday of the “fiscal cliff” deal. That legislation prevented tax hikes on most Americans but did not achieve the significant spending cuts House Republicans wanted.
But after coming under fire from Republicans including Representative Peter King of New York and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a potential presidential contender for 2016, Boehner scheduled yesterday’s vote on the piece of the package.
He also promised a second vote on January 15 for the remaining portion of nearly $51 billion in aid. The House is not in session next week.
“This is a crisis of unimaginable proportions,” King said.
“If you saw the suffering that’s going on, if you saw the people who don’t have food and shelter, you’d realize how horrible this is”.