Ninety days after Hurricane Sandy landed on the East Coast, Congress is finally sending help.
The Senate voted Monday to approve a $50.5 billion emergency aid bill for victims of Hurricane Sandy, three months after the storm began pounding the Northeast.
“I am so glad that we are finally coming to a moment where we can get relief to New Jersey families,” Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey said.
The vote was 62-36. The bill now goes to President Obama for signing.
Monday’s action brings the total amount of Sandy aid approved by Congress to $60.2 billion. That includes $9.7 billion the House and Senate approved on Jan. 4 to pay flood insurance claims related to the storm.
Senators defeated an amendment from Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah that would have offset the $50.5 billion in emergency aid by making across-the-board reductions in discretionary spending over nine years.
The measure received 35 votes, well short of the 60 it needed to pass.
