Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Senate Passes $60.4 Billion Sandy Relief Bill, But House Still On The Fence
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Dec 29, 2012
Modified Dec 29, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Dec 29, 2012
Modified Dec 29, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
As expected, the Senate passed a $60.4 billion Sandy relief bill yesterday, and New York and New Jersey politicians are ecstatic.
"“The Senate membership has our respect and gratitude for voting to deliver to the people of our states the resources we need to recover and to move quickly, aggressively, and responsibly with efforts to rebuild and strengthen our states after the historic devastation of Hurricane Sandy," Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie announced in a joint statement yesterday. And Mayor Bloomberg, who requested $9.8 billion in federal recovery aid last month, sang praises for the passage: "I applaud all those who supported this bipartisan legislation and allowed for its passage because the funding it contains is crucial for the thousands of residents and small businesses impacted by the storm."
But the battle for federal recovery dollars isn't over yet. The bill has to be passed by the House of Representatives before Congress' term ends on Wednesday, and many Representatives, particularly Republicans, have objected to its cost. They've suggested cutting it down to $24 billion: initially, New York and New Jersey politicians estimated they needed about $82 billion for recovery.
Govs. Cuomo and Christie, along with Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, sent the House a joint letter urging them to pass the bill before the end of the year. "Every time there has been a storm or disaster even close to the size and scope of Sandy…the House has approved billions of dollars in supplemental aid -- $290 billion in total since 1989 as part of 35 separate supplemental appropriations bills," they wrote. "Any delay in passing this aid would be unprecedented in recent history and would signal a shift in federal policy toward disaster assistance."
Tagged
connecticut
house of representatives
hurricane sandy
new jersey
new york
senate
washington
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .