One month after voting in support of a $60 billion relief package for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, some lawmakers in Bucks and Burlington counties are raising concerns about money that could be spent outside the declared disaster zone.
The disaster relief package tailored by Congress and signed by the president last month includes $16 billion for community development block grants.
Local lawmakers said they're now asking for a guarantee that those grants go “only to counties with a declared disaster declaration issued as a result of Superstorm Sandy.” In a letter to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Congressmen Mike Fitzpatrick, Scott Garrett and Robert Andrews questioned the "mechanism" whereby billions of dollars could be awarded by HUD.
Andrews, a Democrat, represents New Jersey’s 1st District, which encompasses portions of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. Garrett, a Republican, represents the 5th District, covering much of northeastern Jersey.
All three voted Jan. 15 in support of the disaster relief legislation.
Their letter also asks how HUD will "ensure that grants are used only on projects that have a direct relationship to Superstorm Sandy or on projects that seek to mitigate damage caused by future disasters."
Bucks County Congressman Fitzpatrick, R-8, said he drafted the Feb. 8 letter to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan out of concern for the sheer size of the block grant program. With that size comes the inherent potential for waste, he said.
“The size and scope of Hurricane Sandy was unprecedented,” said Fitzpatrick. “The amount appropriated to meet the need was therefore unprecedented as well.
“But whenever the federal government authorizes a significant amount of money there is the possibility that some contractor or agency may try to take advantage of the generosity of the American people,” the congressman added. “I think that there could be a tendency on the part of some to try to use federal dollars to perform maintenance and repairs not related to the hurricane.”
Others have been far more critical of the so-called "pork" tied to the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. Watchdog groups speculate that billions of dollars could go to items only loosely tied to the late October storm.
The bill passed by Congress provides grants “for necessary expenses related to disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing, and economic revitalization in the most impacted and distressed areas resulting from a major disaster declared … due to Hurricane Sandy and other eligible events in calendar years 2011, 2012, and 2013.”
Taxpayers for Common Sense said its analysis of the hurricane relief package also turned up $118 million for Amtrak’s Northeast corridor line and $2 billion for road projects nationwide. Disaster funding could go toward $10 million in FBI salaries and expenses, $2 million for repairs to Smithsonian Institution roofs, and $1 million for the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the organization.
Another watchdog group, the nonpartisan Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, said it spotted in the relief package $135 million for new weather forecasting equipment and $50 million to plant trees.
In a Jan. 27 statement posted on his website, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz estimates that only 30 percent of the relief package would be spent immediately on the needs of Sandy victims.
An investigation by the Congressional Budget Office suggests most of the Senate’s $60 billion “emergency” package won’t be spent for two or more years. A little under $9 billion of the relief package could be used in the next 11 months, according to the CBO report.
HUD issued the first round of block grants last week, releasing $3.4 billion for New York, $1.8 billion for New Jersey, $72 million for Connecticut, $8.6 million to Maryland and $3.2 million to Rhode Island.
The amount released in the first round of grants was determined using data from other disaster relief programs such as FEMA's Individual Assistance Program and Small Business Administration’s disaster loans.
HUD said each state would be required to submit a plan of action which would then be reviewed and approved by the federal agency. Another agency, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, is to provide oversight to prevent and identify waste, fraud and abuse.
Written by: James McGinnis, Staff writer
Original Publication URL: http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/doylestown/congressmen-wary-of-wasteful-unrelated-hurricane-spending/article_f2a905c3-896e-5c78-8ee0-abff506fc8c5.html
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