Senate finally passes Sandy relief bill

WASHINGTON — After a month of delay and outrage, the Senate passed a $50 million relief bill to aid states devastated by Superstorm Sandy, according to CNN.

The bill includes grant funding for owners of homes and businesses, as well as funding for public improvement projects on the electrical grid, hospitals and transit systems to prevent damage from future storms, the article stated.

According to the article, the 62-36 vote came after senators stopped an attempt to require budget cuts elsewhere to offset the cost of storm relief, a proposal that further irked several members.

"For decades, taxpayers from New York have sent their money when disasters occurred, with fires on the West Coast or floods in the Missouri and Mississippi valleys or hurricanes in Louisiana and Florida," said Senator Chuck Schumer, D-New York.

"We've sent our tax dollars, billions of them — and now, all of a sudden, some are suggesting we should change the rules when we are hit by the first major disaster to hit the New York City region in a very long time. That's not fair. That's not right," Schumer added.

The Senate approved a $60 billion aid package for the hard-hit region in late December, but House Speaker John Boehner scrapped a vote on the bill before the clock ran out on the last Congress on January 1, the article noted.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the move explained "why the American people hate Congress," the article added.

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