Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader, said today on the Senate floor that Hurricane Katrina was "nothing in comparison" to Hurricane Sandy:
"When we had that devastating Katrina, we were there within days, taking care of Mississippi, Alabama, and especially Louisiana," said Reid. "Within days. We are now past two months with the people of New York. And the people of New Orleans, in that area, they were hurt, but nothing in comparison to what's happened to the people in New England."
Nearly 1,500 died because of Katrina. About 110 died because of Sandy.
Congress voted on federal funding to help with the disaster. The legislation passed both the House and Senate.
New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a Republican, blasted Speaker of the House John Boehner for ending the congressional session before voting on the Hurricane Sandy relief bill.
Senator Mark Begich, a Democrat from Alaska, is "pleased" to include more than $200 million in pork spending in the Sandy legislation, a bill meant to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.
The senator's office explains the request in a press release:
The legislation to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy has been turned into something of a mini auto bailout, according to those familiar with the Obama administration's request. The request includes millions of dollars worth of cars, to be paid for by the federal government.
Obama's request, as detailed in a letter sent to Capitol Hill by the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, Jeffrey Zients, includes these requests:
In the bill to cover expenses related to the devastation from Hurricane Sandy, the Obama administration is requesting $13 billion to cover storms to be named later.
It has been a little more than a month since Hurricane Sandy made landfall and pounded the Atlantic shores of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Within hours, government big dogs, the president included, were on the scene promising speedy and comprehensive relief. When they left to attend to campaigning and other business, the bureaucrats arrived and took over. Now, things proceed slowly and in the usual fashion.
President Obama said in front of a church devastated by Hurricane Sandy in New York that ""We've got some work to do and I want you to know I'm here to do it." Here's more, from the pool report:
President Obama comes to work, conducts a few conference calls on Hurricane Sandy, holds a press conference, and later travels to New Jersey to survey the damage caused by the storm. In doing so, he performs a job expected of him as president.
Former President Bill Clinton, using the backdrop of Hurricane Sandy, blasted Mitt Romney for criticizing Barack Obama's unkept promise of "turn[ing] back the seas":
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