Congress Approves $9B In Federal Flood Insurance For Sandy Victims

Families in the D.C. region who were impacted by Superstorm Sandy will soon be able to get flood insurance claims paid by the federal government.

While the bulk of the superstorm's wreckage is in New York and New Jersey, it still damaged many homes in the region. More than 800 families in Maryland alone have already filed claims to access federal flood insurance money.

Maryland Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer says it's good that Republican leaders brought the more than $9 billion flood insurance bill to the floor, but he says Congress still needs to send more than $50 billion to storm victims.

"While it is never too late to do the right thing, it is late that we are doing this thing. And we are doing only the bare minimum, because the flood insurance will expire," Hoyer says.

Maryland Republican Andy Harris represents the Eastern Shore, which received some of the worst damage in Maryland, but he opposed the measure along with 66 other Republicans. Harris argues the price of the bill ought to have been offset with cuts elsewhere in the budget.