RELIEF

Obama Requests $60.4 Billion for Sandy

States seeking aid asked for more.

President Obama requested a $60.4 billion aid package from Congress Friday, to distribute across eastern states decimated by Hurricane Sandy. But that sum is not high enough, according to many leaders in states affected. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are asking for at least $82 billion for emergency repairs and infrastructure work. Lawmakers are hopeful that more funds will be granted as needs are revealed. “This supplemental is a very good start, and while $60 billion doesn’t cover all of New York and New Jersey’s needs, it covers a large percentage,” a group of the area’s senators said in a statement, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called it “the first good news New York has had in a while.”