Rockaways residents forge through flood waters more than a day after Sandy struck. Forum Newsgroup photo by Ross Barkan.
The House of Representatives approved on Jan.4 a $9.7 billion aid package to pay flood insurance claims resulting from Superstorm Sandy. Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, felt the wrath of northeast Democrats and Republicans alike after he failed to bring a $60 billion aid package to a vote before the end of the year. The 354-67 House vote sent the bill to the Senate, which passed the bill hours later under a unanimous consent agreement.
After Republicans like U.S. Rep. Peter King and U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm blasted Boehner for not working to pass the aid package before the session ended, Boehner was conciliatory, promising to also bring the remaining $50.3 billion to a House floor vote on Jan. 15. There, it will be roughly split into an $18-billion bill and a $33-billion amendment. The Democrat-controlled Senate had initially voted for the $60 billion aid package before Republican-controlled House scuttled it.
“[Jan. 4’s] action by the House was a necessary and critical first step towards delivering aid to the people of New York and New Jersey,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in a joint statement. “While we are pleased with this progress, today was just a down payment and it is now time to go even further and pass the final and more complete, clean disaster aid bill. We are trusting Congress to act accordingly on January 15th and pass the final $51 billion instrumental for long-term rebuilding in order for New Jersey, New York and our people to recover after the severe devastation of Hurricane Sandy.”
The initial aid package is crucial because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) warned that its flood insurance program could run out of money shortly. FEMA said the program has already paid out $1.7 billion for 140,000 claims by Sandy victims. Roughly 115,000 flood claims are still pending, and many victims have only received partial payment to cover their damages.
U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks, who represents the Rockaways, was one of many Democrats who criticized House Republicans for failing to bring the Sandy aid bill to a vote before the end of session. In a statement, Meeks was adamant about passing all of the packages as quickly as possible.
“It is disappointing, disgusting, and frustrating that the House Republican leadership continues to play politics in delaying a vote to fully fund disaster relief,” Meeks said. “I hope sincerely that the Republican leadership honors its commitment to holding a vote on the rest of disaster relief funding on January 15, for we must act swiftly to ensure millions do not continue to suffer under the yoke of partisanship.”
Fiscal conservatives disliked the $60 billion package because of expenditures unrelated to Sandy relief that were attached, like improvements to the Kennedy Space Center and Alaskan Fisheries. Among local Republicans, Councilman Dan Halloran was the most critical of the bill.
“As a fiscal conservative and a hawk on reckless government spending, I appreciate the House’s desire to create a responsible bill that will provide the necessary aide [sic] to the affected areas,” Mr. Halloran wrote in a letter to Boehner. “The federal government must act immediately to pass a bill that will address these storm related costs without creating a slush fund of pet projects around the country and around the world.”
By Ross Barkan
