nj wants $36.9 billion, but will spend $7.4 billion on mitigation and prevention
ny wants, Schumer said the package needed to be large and flexible on how state and local officials spend the money.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg lobbied Congress on Wednesday, saying he was confident that lawmakers would agree to help pay for damage from Sandy, the second-costliest disaster in U.S. history, even as they deal with the looming "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and automatic spending cuts.
"Given the scale and impact of the storm, federal assistance is clearly warranted," Bloomberg, who was flanked by New York Democratic Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, said after meeting congressional leaders.
Schumer said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, the White House's point man on Sandy relief, had said the administration would send a first supplemental spending package to Congress early next week.
Schumer warned that passage could be difficult given resistance in Congress to disaster aid, the talks over the "fiscal cliff," and the shortage of federal money.
"There is no doubt this is going to be a hard sell," he said.
more at link
http://news.yahoo.com/york-lobbies-42-billion-sandy-disaster-aid-230449790--sector.html
ny wants, Schumer said the package needed to be large and flexible on how state and local officials spend the money.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg lobbied Congress on Wednesday, saying he was confident that lawmakers would agree to help pay for damage from Sandy, the second-costliest disaster in U.S. history, even as they deal with the looming "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and automatic spending cuts.
"Given the scale and impact of the storm, federal assistance is clearly warranted," Bloomberg, who was flanked by New York Democratic Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, said after meeting congressional leaders.
Schumer said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, the White House's point man on Sandy relief, had said the administration would send a first supplemental spending package to Congress early next week.
Schumer warned that passage could be difficult given resistance in Congress to disaster aid, the talks over the "fiscal cliff," and the shortage of federal money.
"There is no doubt this is going to be a hard sell," he said.
more at link
http://news.yahoo.com/york-lobbies-42-billion-sandy-disaster-aid-230449790--sector.html