New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is asking the federal government to reimburse the state for 100 percent of emergency costs for at least 90 days after Superstorm Sandy swept ashore on October 29.
In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency dated November 30 and released on Monday, Christie said the economic damage from the storm could be nearly $40 billion.
FEMA generally reimburses states for 75 percent of emergency clean-up and repair costs from natural disasters. The agency can cover more, but state officials must ask for the relief.
Christie previously asked for 90 percent reimbursement.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked for full reimbursement for qualifying expenses not long after the storm subsided. He has estimated that New York needs nearly $42 billion to recover from the storm and prepare for future severe weather.
The state of Connecticut is also asking for $3.2 billion for mitigation efforts, and it suffered another estimated $360 million in damages.
In New Jersey, getting money to help cover clean-up and restoration costs will be critical to making sure that the Jersey Shore, a popular summer vacation spot and a key source of revenue for the state, is up and running in time for the 2013 tourist season, Christie said in his letter.
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America is in bad shape if our keynote Republican is seeking handouts from the Federal Government
Isn’t this guy a Republican? Aren’t they against government handouts? Don’t they want small government? Or is it only when it’s somebody else who needs the help?
Nevertheless, give him credit for looking after his people. He’d rather be a good governor than a good Neo-Republican ideologue.
BTW, I have nothing against REAL Republicans, the kind who voted for Eisenhower, and didn’t bleat about seceding if they lost an election. Real Republicans care about America, not just a handful of billionaires and Wall Street types who make their money off their fellow citizens’ backs and then go stash it in a bank offshore. Even Goldwater, crazy as he was, cared about his (our) country. If you care about American you care about ALL Americans, not just the ones in your clique.
Asking for %100 is not right. Why should the tax payer have to pay for NJ home repairs? The Government is not responsible to pay for private individuals who sustain a loss from a Natural desaster. Its not written in the Constitution. The loss is very difficult but its NOT the Government’s responsibility. Then tax payers wonder why the Country is in debt.
Hey Joe – Most of our programs and laws are not written in the Constitution. The Constitution provided us with a Congress to pass day to day laws. Were you sleeping during civics class? Or was your civics class given by the football coach in public school, like mine was? (I learned about it later, in college.)
If it had been your house that was destroyed, your business that was flooded out, your child’s school that had been closed, you would be screaming your head off for government help. If Bush could afford to bail out Wall Street, we can afford to help the people who were victimized by a storm sent by HaShem. After all, maybe he did it to teach us how important chesed – private and governmental – is to us.