Disaster recoveryAndrew Cuomo heads to Washington to push for disaster aid
Governor Andrew Cuomo says that New York needs $33 billion to cover storm cleanup and another $9 billion for new programs to protect against future storms; Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey says his state will need $36.8 billion to recover from Sandy; it is not clear how Congress and the administration, locked in a tug of war over differing deficit cut plans, will respond
New York governor Andrew Cuomo made a trip to Washington on Monday in order to press top officials in the White House and Congress for billions of dollars in aid to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Cuomo planned his trip perfectly as negotiations began between Obama’s administration and members of Congress over how much money will be sent to New York, New Jersey, and other states hit by the storm. The New York Times reports that Cuomo says that New York needs $33 billion to cover storm cleanup and another $9 billion for new programs to protect against future storms. Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey says his state will need $36.8 billion to recover from Sandy.
As Cuomo left a meeting with members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he said he was optimistic about what took place.
“I think we’re moving forward,” Cuomo told reporters after huddling with Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the committee’s Democratic chairman, and Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), the Republican vice chairman.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), who heads a subcommittee that oversees disaster funding, was also at the meeting and remembers the support a New York lawmaker gave her state after Hurricane Katrina.
“I’m going to step up,” she told the Times.
These disaster-relief pleas come at a time when the most important issue in Washington is the “fiscal cliff” that the country is headed toward. If Obama and Congressional leaders in both parties cannot find an agreement, significant spending cuts will go into effect at the beginning of the year, cuts which could have a major effect on the funds the governors are asking for, as well as employment for those who will be doing the clean up and repairs needed for these states.
Officials monitoring the talks between governors and the White House say that disaster aid requests are a lock to be tied into the fiscal talks talking place in Washington.
The White House is expected to release a proposal to Congress for supplemental funds to help states hit by the storm, but some officials say that the proposal would be for less than what states are requesting.
Cuomo has scheduled meetings with members of both parties in an effort to get as much help as possible.
Disaster relief aid will most likely need to satisfy lawmakers who do not want to approve additional spending without cuts that would offset the costs and add to the federal deficit.
Last week New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg went to Washington to make his case to Republicans and Democratic leaders of Congress for federal disaster aid.
