CEOs, governors push for Sandy storm aid
BY Associated Press
Friday, December 14, 2012
12/14/12 at 5:29 AM
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Thursday issued a powerful plea to Congress: Don't leave for the holidays until you decide on aid for states battered by superstorm Sandy.
Joining the effort were more than 125 prominent CEOs based in New York who also urged Congress to quickly pass a $60 billion aid package.
Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Andrew Cuomo of New York and Dannel Malloy of Connecticut said no region or state should have to stand alone after a disaster. They say Congress hasn't acted in seven weeks following Sandy, taking longer to provide aid than in previous disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
"Storms and disasters lay waste to communities and deliver damage far beyond the resources and capacity of any single state to recover on its own," wrote Cuomo and Malloy, both Democrats, and Christie, a Republican. "This is why Congress has always come to the assistance of Americans facing a recovery effort of this scale."
In Washington, the Senate will start debating the bill Monday afternoon. House Republicans are looking at a smaller initial package to cover immediate needs while awaiting more detailed evidence on damages for additional spending. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund still has about $4.8 billion, enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he favors a slower approach before spending so much money.
"How much is absolutely needed now? That's all we should really be considering now, the short-term needs. And then get some real information in," he said.
The governors made their case in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.
"Our states have stood with your communities when they suffered and faced devastation. It's time for Congress to stand with us," they wrote.
Original Print Headline: Governors plead for Sandy aid
