(NEW YORK) MintPress – It has been more than seven weeks since Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast, and Congress is only now beginning to consider President Obama’s request for $60 billion to restore damaged areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
And as people in those states continue to suffer from the effects of the superstorm — many are still relying on the Red Cross and FEMA for food and shelter — Republican legislators want to slash the amount of funding to less than half of that.
Sen. Daniel Coats of Indiana, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, proposed on Wednesday to fund just $23.8 billion in immediate disaster relief while assessing longer-term needs.
“It seems to me the most logical, responsible way to move forward is to identify the immediate needs and provide the immediate funding to meet those needs,” he said.
Coats’ plan would provide money for work such as debris cleanup, repairing damaged equipment and rebuilding destroyed homes and businesses. He said longer-term needs could be considered next year.
The debate comes among a tense standoff over the so-called fiscal cliff, a package of deep spending cuts and tax increases that are set to take effect automatically on Jan. 1 unless the president and Congress agree on a plan to avert them.
“We don’t have time right now to get all the way through and analyze the actual losses that were attributable to Sandy,” said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), adding that the full $60.4 billion looked like a “slush fund.”
Senate Democrats, on the other hand, are trying to push through Obama’s full $60.4 billion request before the end of the year.
“This amendment will unnecessarily prolong the suffering of those affected by Superstorm Sandy, and needlessly leave entire communities vulnerable to future severe weather incidents,” Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a statement.
“The whole nation will feel the economic impact of a northeast crippled by languishing transportation infrastructure, forsaken small businesses, and families left without homes.”
Too little, too late
The $23.8 billion offered in the Republican plan would be less than 30 percent of the $82 billion aid request sought by officials in the New York metropolitan tri-state area earlier this month based on estimates at the time.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York needs $33 billion to repair the New York City subway system, hospitals, homes and other facilities damaged by the storm, as well as an additional $9 billion to upgrade infrastructure to protect against future storms, for a total of $42 billion.
Gov. Chris Christie maintained that New Jersey needs $29.5 billion to repair schools, roads, bridges, businesses, homes and other facilities, and $7.4 billion to prevent damage from future storms, a total of $36.9 billion.
And Connecticut Gov. Daniel Malloy wanted $3.2 billion, the bulk of it to bury power lines, upgrade transmission systems, build sewage-treatment plants and pay for other projects to guard against future storms.
Those estimates may have understated the magnitude of the problem. At a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington on Thursday, executives from New York and New Jersey transit systems, all of whom are seeking funding from the relief package, said the damage from Sandy was worse than they initially believed.
Costs to repair damage to the New York region’s PATH train system, for example, may be more than $700 million, compared with the earlier estimate of $300 million, said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
He explained that the storm caused “tsunami-like conditions” in PATH stations. The storm flooded the tunnels with as much as 8 feet of water and destroyed critical signal and switching systems.
“None of our agencies are talking about a bridge to nowhere,” Foye claimed.“We’re talking about restoring tunnels, bridges and train stations.” He said PATH has spent about $200 million of its own money so far.
Repairs are hampered by the fact that some destroyed parts are no longer made, according to Foye. “It has been like trying to find replacement parts for an entire fleet of Model T Fords in the 21st century.”
Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff told the committee that New York City area transit service may have to be cut and U.S. taxpayers may face more costs if Congress skimps on spending for recovery.
“There is a risk of serious service degradation to the public if they can’t restore their equipment stocks,” he warned.
Last minute lobbying
There is some support for the White House coming from Republican officials in the states hit the hardest.
Along with Christie, Reps. Michael Grimm of Staten Island and Peter King of Long Island are throwing their weight behind the full request, pointing out, as Democrats had, that within two weeks of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Congress had appropriated $62.3 billion, and storm costs eventually topped $100 billion.
“When we had the devastation in New Orleans, we got the aid to those states very quickly,” Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor, noting that far more people were affected by Sandy’s path of destruction in a heavily populated area.
“We have to make a decision on this very, very important legislation before we leave here this week,” Reid said. “I would hope that everyone would cooperate, but we have to do this.”
Last week, a group of more than 100 business executives appealed to all four congressional leaders for immediate relief.
Among the companies represented were Time Warner, MasterCard Worldwide, Alcoa, BlackRock, Xerox, Macy’s, Estée Lauder and American Express.
Their pitch: “We believe that failure to expeditiously fund storm relief and recovery will severely weaken this region and worsen our nation’s overall fiscal condition. If the Northeast suffers, so does the nation — reason enough for Congress to move quickly.”