WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans yesterday offered their own Hurricane Sandy relief bill — which is less than half the original proposed amount.
The GOP version calls for $23.8 billion to be spent on disaster relief for New York and New Jersey — while the bill offered by President Obama totaled $60.4 billion.
Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) introduced the new legislation, which would fund aid through the first three months of next year.
Coats said the lower figure eliminated unnecessary spending — such as $150 million for fisheries in Alaska and Mississippi.
“The concept behind this, of course, is to be as careful as we can with the taxpayers’ money and make sure that each dollar spent is spent on something that has been thoroughly examined,” Coats said.
The bill isn’t likely to pass the Senate, which Democrats control with 52 votes.,
One of the biggest cuts in the funding involves reducing Community Development Block Grants from $15 billion to $2 billion. That money is viewed as critical to helping homeowners socked by the storm.
The move would also eliminate close to $11.3 billion in funding for future storm protection. Republicans left in the $9.7 billion to pay out claims from the National Flood Insurance Program.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) slammed the offer.
“This proposal is not even in the ballpark of what New York and New Jersey need,” Schumer said yesterday.