Some Hurricane Sandy aid diverted to South in D.C. deal

Some Hurricane Sandy aid diverted to South in D.C. deal

YURI GRIPAS/REUTERS

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) defended the changes that divert some Sandy funds to the South and Midwest, saying emergency appropriations like the Sandy bill often become “legislative vehicles” that cover multiple disasters.

WASHINGTON â€" A bill to provide $ 60.4 billion in disaster aid to Northeast states ravaged by Hurricane Sandy has been quietly amended to divert some of the money to Gulf Coast states recovering from a much smaller storm.

Democrats made the changes last week to win the support of enough Republicans to guarantee Senate passage, sources told the Daily News.

The move was so last-minute that Democrats amended the measure by hand â€" using a pen to cross out passages and to write in the new provisions â€" as they scrambled to advance the bill before the Christmas break.

The changes expand the areas eligible for some of the money to include states damaged by Hurricane Isaac, which struck the Southeast in late August.

Momentum to alter the bill began building when Democrats realized they did not have the eight Republican senators needed to reach the 60 votes necessary to end a filibuster threat.

A provision providing $ 29.5 million “to expedite and complete ongoing flood and storm damage reduction studies” in areas impacted by Sandy was increased by $ 5 million and expanded to include areas affected by Hurricane Isaac.

Similarly, a $ 2.9 billion pot for projects “to reduce future flood risks” in areas impacted by Sandy was expanded to include areas affected by Isaac as well.

And a $ 100 million fund for small, economically distressed areas hit by disasters since 2011 was increased to $ 500 million.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) defended the changes, saying emergency appropriations like the Sandy bill often become “legislative vehicles” that cover multiple disasters.

“In this sense, the Gulf and Midwest get some help because of the vehicles, not politics,” he said.

He insisted that the changes were not the only reason the measure advanced.

Schumer said that he and other supporters of the Sandy package had made reluctant senators “aware of the breadth and depth of the destruction that New York and New Jersey faced.”

But staffers in both parties acknowledged that the handwritten tweaks were aimed at winning the votes of Republicans, especially Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana. A Vitter spokesman declined to comment.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Schumer also coupled inducements with threats to retaliate if Republicans refused to assist Sandy victims.

“If they start putting new barriers in the way of disaster relief, their region could be next,” Schumer said last week.

Such pressure probably helped secure votes from Republicans such as Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama, which faces hurricanes, and Roy Blunt of Missouri, where tornados are common.

Once Democrats had enough GOP commitments to reach 60 votes, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had worked to kill the bill, freed his members to support it. The result was a 97-1 vote Friday to advance the measure.

The vote sets up likely Senate passage by a simple majority vote this week.

Odds look longer in the Republican-led House, which may not even return to session in 2012. If House members fail to approve the Sandy bill, backers must head back to the drawing board in the new Congress next year.

dfriedman@nydailynews