Fiscal Debate Could Sink Sandy Disaster Aid
Posted at 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 6, 2012
“The White House is assembling a spending request to send to Capitol Hill as early as this week, and while the final sum is still in flux, it should fall between $45 billion and $55 billion,” according to the New York Times.
“New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were seeking a combined $82 billion in federal help both to clean up and restore damage from Hurricane Sandy as well as to upgrade and harden infrastructure to prepare for future storms.”
“The White House is trying to frame its storm-spending request to avoid conflicting with its showdown with Republicans in Congress over broader budget issues… it may be impossible to disentangle the two. A 10-year deficit-reduction plan presented by the Obama administration to Congressional leaders last week included $50 billion for short-term economic stimulus, generating fierce criticism from Republicans. Some Congressional officials said that could be dropped and replaced with disaster relief of roughly the same amount.”
