House Passes $50.7 Billion Sandy Aid Bill

Despite a two-week delay after being stripped from the fiscal cliff package, the long-awaited $50.7 billion emergency aid bill for victims of Hurricane Sandy passed Tuesday night in the Republican-controlled House, 241 to 180, reports The New York Times.

However, the package still falls $30 billion short of the original $82 billion requested by governors in northeastern states affected by the hurricane.

But the $50.7 billion — along with a nearly $10 billion in aid that Congress approved earlier this month — will help provide assistance to homeowners and business owners who experienced losses as a direct result of the storm.

The aid also will provide money to states to repair subway and commuter rail systems, fix bridges and tunnels, and reimburse local governments for emergency expenditures.

Peter T. King, a Republican congressman from Long Island, hailed the move by Congress as a huge victory for Sandy victims, but expressed disappointment over the House’s failure to act earlier:

“It is unfortunate that we had to fight so hard to be treated the same as every other state has been treated,” King said.

The Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to pass the measure swiftly.

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