House, Senate Approve $9.7B for Sandy Flood Victims
EmailMore than two months after Superstorm Sandy struck the Northeast, Congress today approved $9.7 billion for FEMA flood insurance programs to be distributed to businesses and residents inundated by the storm.
The House of Representatives vote passed today 354 to 67, with all the opposition coming from Republicans. The Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent. The bill grants the National Flood Insurance Program additional borrowing authority to process 115,000 pending insurance claims.
The Senate passed a $60.4 billion bill which would provide aid for victims of Sandy last year. That bill, which matched the White House’s emergency supplemental request, expired after the House refused to consider the legislation before the 112th session of Congress ended this week.
“We’re disappointed that the package that passed in the Senate in a bipartisan way was not taken up by the majority, the Republican leadership earlier in the previous Congress that just ended,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said at a news conference just before the vote. “As one who has experienced natural disasters in her district, it’s really important that the confidence that people have in a public response to their personal plight be upheld, that confidence be upheld.”
“The bad news is that we even had to go through this dog and pony show in the first place,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the senate floor.
After the House voted Jan. 1 on the “fiscal cliff” deal, House Speaker John Boehner decided not to vote on any relief during the 112th Congress. Republicans and Democrats from the region revolted until Boehner held a private meeting with angry Republican members where he promised to make Sandy relief a priority in the 113th Congress.
“Why did that have to wait?” Pelosi wondered. “That was a mistake.”
The relief today will be followed by another vote for additional relief for the region once the House reconvenes the week of Jan. 14. After the votes today, lawmakers from the area quickly began to shift their attention to that money.
“We need the House to pass not only the $9 billion dollars they passed this morning, but the $51 billion that contains the bulk of the aid that people need, without which we will not be able to recover,” Schumer said. “To be a bride and be left at the altar once is bad enough. To be left twice would be unconscionable.”
“Today’s overwhelming vote to place the national flood insurance program on sound financial footing to pay claims of those who suffered devastating losses from Superstorm Sandy is a good first step,” Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement after the vote. “On January 15th, we must build on this success by passing the remainder of the robust assistance package that is needed for New York, New Jersey, and other states affected by Sandy.”
Rep. Jon Runyan, R-N.J., echoed the sentiment. “I am pleased that the House of Representatives has finally taken this important first step to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy,” he said.
“With today’s bipartisan vote, I am hopeful that the second part of the emergency supplemental funding bill will easily pass on January 15th.”
After today, the House is expected to recess until Jan. 14 while the Senate is in recess until Jan. 21.
ABC News’ Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.
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Hmm, the House approves a $9.7 Billion bill while the Senate had a $60 Billion bill last year. I wonder what kind of extra pork is in that huh?
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 12:48 pm 12:48 pm
“…with all the opposition coming from Republicans.”
Gee, what a shock.
Posted by: Jack Abramoff | January 4, 2013, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm
I hope that it still contained all of that delicious pork that will be used to buy votes at our expense. I wouldn’t want to deprive some deadbeat of a job where they don’t have to work much and get paid handsomely with lexus benefits. What a posh job for someone who can’t do anything else.
Posted by: Perplexed | January 4, 2013, 1:18 pm 1:18 pm
Chris Christi has the same appeal to middle class democrats as Ronald Reagan did. Although conservative, they both put the middle class first, not the truffle eaters. This was possibly because Reagan was once a democrat and retained those values.
Then, the republicans were smart enough to recognize Reagan’s appeal. Today thanks to the tea party, they are so dumbed down they fail to recognize that same appeal in Chris Christi.
He doesn’t have a chance in hell of being nominated by the confederacy of dunces the Republican Party has become
Posted by: tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 1:58 pm —- Well, at least you gave us the partisan hack comments we need to see everyday. I am middle class and believe Christie is like the young Biden of the GOP and not fit to run much. It is blatantly obvious he is trying to set himself apart from the GOP and I wouldn’t blame him, but he is GP at heart. Frankly, without an interjection of a 3rd party, we will end up with another Bush, Obama or whoever and the debt will rise and nobody will tackle our spending problem. It appears the only group willing to do it is the TPers. Obama said we were going to have to make difficult decisions……over 4 years ago and we are still waiting. The looming fight over the debt ceiling will force Obama to curtail his habits, or the governemnt will shut down, at least partially.
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 2:15 pm 2:15 pm
All opposition coming from GOP, ahh the mighty big heart exposes itself. Watch them beg for votes when and if their district gets hit by a cyclone, tornado, earthquake, etc.
Posted by: mike electrician | January 4, 2013, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
COMMONSENSE
I honestly think Christi, although he’s a republican, represents my middle class values, more than any other republican. If Hillary doesn’t run, she smart and experienced, I’d seriously think of voting for Christi ove rmost democrats. It’s a long way off, but who knows.
Why to you keep looking to the President for solutions?
The Congress was given the sole responsibility to make laws, spend money and raise revenues, not the executive branch.
The President was tasked with enforcing those laws and acting as Commander-In- Chief of the military, that’s all.
They envisioned a House and Senate who “Provided for the Common Welfare”; where the parties debated, compromised and passed legislation to help the people of our country.
The tea party has made the Congress so dysfunctional that process doesn’t work anymore. The Executive branch has to be involved.
The President should tell these idiots to do their job and quit looking to him for guidance.
Posted by: tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:21 pm 2:21 pm
When the mob of democrats lead us to the inevitable fiscal cliff of bankruptcy by refusing to reform entitlements and cut significantly irresponsible spending I hope our children and grandchildren will know who is responsible for their impoverishment.
Posted by: grc46 | January 4, 2013, 2:25 pm 2:25 pm
Hmm, the House approves a $9.7 Billion bill while the Senate had a $60 Billion bill last year. I wonder what kind of extra pork is in that huh?
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 12:48 pm 12:48 pm
$150 million is slated to benefit Alaskan fisheries, $8 million to homeland security and the justice departments for new cars, office equipment, furniture and ‘mobile X-Ray machines,’ and $41 million for eight military bases including Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the New York Post reports.
A whopping $13 billion will go to preventing future storm damage, including soil erosion and tree planting said to ‘help reduce flood effects, protect water sources, decrease soil erosion and improve wildlife habitat.’
Other slices of the pie will provide $4 million to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center and $2 million to Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution for museum roof repairs – damaged reported prior to the late-October storm.
Other beneficiaries include $207 million for the VA Manhattan Medical Center, $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, and $1.1 million for national cemeteries”
There are also “green company” handouts.
Posted by: wheresmymoney | January 4, 2013, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm
tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:21 pm — The POTUS has final authority over bills and his signature makes them law. His position is a position of leadership of our country and ultimately our government. While the Congress comes up with legislation, the President has to sign it or veto it. I don’t like the way our Congress or President has been sidestepping their duties. For example, why won’t Reid even allow a vote on anything the GOP writes? If they vote no, it’s done. Instead, he abuses his power as Senate leader to just let those bills go away without even a word. If I were Boehner, we would have gone over the cliff, because I believe he caved in, but that positions him for more power with the looming debt ceiling negotiations. And Obama, sidestepping things F&F, Libya and the Dream Act by his signature alone which borders on being against the Constitution. You attack the GOP while the Democrats are no better. Obama got his 4 more years, let’s see if he can’t improve from the 1st term, there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 2:39 pm 2:39 pm
GRC46
Give me a break; I was born with a debt laid on my shoulders from WWII and the depression that was four times heavier than the one today. I didn’t lose any sleep over it and the sky didn’t fall.
This is just another republican cliché “Burden on our grandchildren” used to con the American people.
How about the kids living today whose parents will be out of work and whose education will suffer because of these half-assed republican spending cuts. You need to quit worrying about children who aren’t even born yet and concentrate on the kids who have to make it now.
Posted by: tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:21 pm wrote: “”"”"They envisioned a House and Senate who “Provided for the Common Welfare”"”"” Uh, no they didn’t. “”Provide for the common defense. PROMOTE the general welfare”" and that is a huge difference from what you wrote. Please do not try and change the wording of the Constitution.
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:43 pm —– The only way ANY American will suffer in education is if they don’t apply themselves to learn or their parents do not stress the importance of education. Our system offers more chances to any degree than any other country in the world. You can be in your 60′s and still qualify for government loans, grants, etc. You cannot simply throw money at education expecting better results. People only learn when motivated but themselves or their parents.
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 2:47 pm 2:47 pm
timfretti: First of all you were not given a debt from WW II. We reduced that debt through increased revenues due to the expansion of our economy after WW II. Also we did not have Medicare and Medicaid adding significantly to the deficit until 1965. That expansion of our economy DOES NOT exist today. After WW II we were the only economy and industrial capacity that was untouched by the war. We had 50% of the industrial production alone. Get your facts straight.
Posted by: grc46 | January 4, 2013, 2:49 pm 2:49 pm
COMMONSENSE
OK, promoted the common welfare. Thanks for the correction
Now are your saying they don’t need to provide they just need to promote and they can abdicate their responsibilities? The fact remains, its Congress’s job to make law, spend money and obtain revenue, not the President’s.
Even the budget is a courtesy given to the Congress by past Presidents. It is just a wish list a President would like to have. It has no basis in law or the Constitution. It’s Congresses job to make a budget for our government.
Posted by: tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
GRC46
I don’t think you know how old I am. When I was born the debt was four times, in real terms as it is now. We hadn’t paid down any of it yet.
The expansion of our economy does not happen today, but it did under Bill Clinton, and would today if the “do nothing” republicans would just get the hell out of the way with these stupid spending cuts.
If you guys were in the same position you were today in 1938, the south would still be without electricity and the TVA wouldn’t exist.
Posted by: tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 2:55 pm —- Yes, Congress holds the purse strings, nobody is questioning that. The Presidents problem is he has interjected himself on so many issues, there is an expectation that he knows what he is doing and he doesn’t. The economy expanded under Clinton solely based on the dot com era, nothing else. What did Clinton do to spark growth? Once the dot com era was saturated, the economy merely kept afloat. Then, the global competition kicked in and we lost manufacturing jobs by teh thousands. That’s what businesses do, they make money. You can’t regulate it, but you don’t have to reward it either. Do away with subsidies, ethanol requiremennts, etc and let businesses thrive or die. Hit any oil company that works in the US with a windfall tax. The problem is the government will simply spend it on something else. You don’t care about deficits, but many millions of us do.
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
Completely ignoring how much support also came from Republicans. Also fails to mention why there was opposition and the fact that Pelosi is whining because she isn’t getting her pork. Typical biased liberal reporting. Still not sure why all Americans need to pay flood damage for the few that choose to live in areas at risk of flooding??? They should be buying their own flood insurance or eating the loss if they don’t.
Posted by: pgdion | January 4, 2013, 3:32 pm 3:32 pm
COMMONSENSE
I hope ABC will let me post this. They wiped both my replies to FRANCIS out
I don’t know whether the President interjected himself or not, but I agree he shouldn’t have been involved at least until the Senate and House sent their versions to the Conference committee.
Bill Clinton had enough sense to focus on the middle class; he knew that’s where the economy begins.
Is this FRANCIS for real, and I thought you guys were extreme
Posted by: tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
Wow! 9.7 billion is a huge difference as opposed to 60.4 billion. Disgusting that all of the pork was put in there. The problem is Obama’s SPENDING. The spending MUST stop once and for all!
Posted by: Francis | January 4, 2013, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
tmferretti | January 4, 2013, 3:54 pm —- Don’t be shy, Clinton was FORCED by the GOP to do what he did. Obama wants to interject HIS ideas and then not negotiate those ideas on almost every issue. You can’t admit that? You said: “” I don’t know whether the President interjected himself or not”", when we have seen it time and time again. How many times have you heard from Obama “my proposal”" or “”my plan”" and yet he had no legislation to back it up? IF you have a plan, present it, don’t just talk. Obama talks a lot, but doesn’t back it with legislation. Tom Coburn had some good ideas inhis health care plan and yet not one Democrat read it. If Obama didn’t interject himself, why do we call it Obamacare?
Posted by: Commonsenseparty | January 4, 2013, 4:11 pm 4:11 pm
tmferretti wrote:”The fact remains, its Congress’s job to make law, spend money and obtain revenue, not the President’s.”
.
You need to get straight with your other leftie loon friends on here. They think it was Reagan who doubled the debt, and that President Bush left oBama with TRILLIONS in debt, massive deficits, and spending out of control. Which is it?
Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | January 4, 2013, 4:26 pm 4:26 pm
The “blame Bush, blame Reagan” game is hilarious. They are no longer in office. Obama owns the past four years. Will it get better? Nope. Obama is intent on completing his dirty little agenda.
Posted by: Francis | January 4, 2013, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Tmferretti: Keep up the good work; I know it’s hard educating these right wing nuts on this blog! Don’t worry, everything the callous GOPhas done has blown up in their faces.The debt ceiling fight and other obstructions will result in future implosions. They are a joke!!
Posted by: Martin | January 4, 2013, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
The vote on the remaining aid needs to be gone over with a fine tooth comb before approved to make sure that there is “NO PORK”!
Posted by: Common _ Sense | January 4, 2013, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
Agree with PGDION, People should buy their own flood insurance. Owning a home is a major responsibility. It’s really not wise to depend upon the federal government to take care of you. The federal government almost always screws things up. Flood insurance is a totally separate policy and added cost, but it is worth it. It is the smart and responsible thing to do.
Posted by: Francis | January 4, 2013, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
Hurricane Sandy is exactly why not one single state could or should “succeed” from the US! So please stop being so dramatic when voters don’t vote YOUR WAY! Peace to ALL!
Posted by: kcurryz | January 4, 2013, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm
I don’t understand. Are we rebuilding for people who didn’t buy flood insurance? Is that what’s going on here?
Posted by: newcountryman | January 4, 2013, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
The “blame Bush, blame Reagan” game is hilarious. They are no longer in office. Obama owns the past four years. Will it get better? Nope. Obama is intent on completing his dirty little agenda.
Posted by: Francis
You can’t get past the right wing rhetoric – Obama has been trying to undo the mess created by Bush 2 —and as for the trickle down economics – we all know how well that has has benefited middle class people. You suffer from selective memory dysfuction . Do you remember the 2008 fgloabal crisis caused mostly by unreguglated banking practices?
Posted by: steve | January 4, 2013, 8:16 pm 8:16 pm
So when the hurricane season hits, or tornadoes season starts and their states ask for disaster relief of hundreds of millions of dollars will it be fair if we send them a few million and tell them to come back later and we’ll see what we can do.This is all about the President and the fact that they spent millions of dollars to keep him from being re-elected and they lost. They not only didn’t get the white house, but they lost in the senate and the house. So now they want to make the people of the country to pay for voting for him. But it will come back to bite them on the ass.Watch what happens in 2014 and 2016.
Posted by: Traveler | January 4, 2013, 9:34 pm 9:34 pm
This should be a HUGE red flag to all Americans concerning speaker john boehner, his actions truly show how much he cares about the American people in need of help. He only cares about his precious republican party and the corporate lobbyists that pad his pocket and could care less about the people of America. Hopefully his lame butt will not be voted back into congress come the next election, or even better when the Democrats retake control of the house and congress elects a speaker that will actually work with the President instead of making a pledge to make sure that a President only serves one term and caters to the tea party nut cases.
Posted by: Mike in Redding | January 4, 2013, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
I am glad the House had the sense not to pass the $62 billion pork barrel that came from the Senate. I doubt that reason will prevail in DC; however, once in a while they screw-up in the correct direction.
Posted by: ztarbod | January 5, 2013, 12:18 am 12:18 am
Traveler (9:34); The Republicans didn’t lose the House. Where have you been?
Posted by: newcountryman | January 5, 2013, 8:18 am 8:18 am
Warning to all coastal residents……..buy flood insurance. The government is not going to continue to bail you out.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 5, 2013, 10:54 am 10:54 am