Will the Senate pass the $60 billion Sandy recovery bill?
In the midst of debt and deficit negotiations in Washington, politicians are carefully considering all aspects of the proposed billion-dollar superstorm Sandy recovery bill.
Billionaire investment banker Kenneth Lngone, (l.), listens as New York's Gov. Cuomo speak during a news conference, following a meeting of elected officials, business and labor leaders Dec. 14. Cuomo said Friday that New York has helped out other states after disasters so it's time for the federal government to step up and help New York following superstorm Sandy.
Bebeto Matthews/AP
Washington
The U.S. Senate on Monday began debating a $60.4 billion aid bill to rebuild communities devastated by Superstorm Sandy amid criticism by conservative groups who said the measure was loaded with wasteful, non-disaster spending.
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The Democratic-controlled Senate is looking to pass the disaster aid bill this week. But Republicans, wary of its huge price tag in the midst of tense debt and deficit negotiations in Washington, are likely to try to ratchet back some of its provisions through amendments.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is taking a slower, more painstaking approach to analyzing the Obama administration's request for funding to rebuild coastal communities largely in New York and New Jersey, repair transportation infrastructure there and provide other aid.
The House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, a Kentucky Republican, hopes to move an aid measure before year-end but has been considering a smaller initial bill aimed at meeting immediate disaster needs.
The conservative Club for Growth urged senators to vote against the Sandy relief bill, saying that it contained a lot of "immaterial" spending.
"When a natural disaster occurs, there is a textbook response by Congress - they cobble together an overpriced bill that isn't paid for, there's no accountability or oversight, and it's filled with pork. This proposal is no different," the group said in an email to senators.
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