New Jersey House Delegation Ask For Sandy Loan Payback Relief

LONG BRANCH—Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and the rest of the House delegation from New Jersey recently filed an appropriations letter to the House Subcommittees on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Homeland Security requesting relief for people still trying to pay back funds that they received in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

In the letter, the delegation asks that the appropriation committees grant the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development the authority to waive recoupment of federal funds owed by New Jersey homeowners in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy through no fault of their own, something the New Jersey delegation secured a one-year reprieve for last year.

The lawmakers also requested the cancellation of unforgiven Community Disaster Loans (CDLs) made to municipalities throughout New Jersey to help them recover from the storm.

“Superstorm Sandy hit our shores over eight years ago, causing major destruction up and down the East Coast of the United States. Many of the families and municipalities impacted by the storm are still struggling to rebuild, a matter that has only been exacerbated by the unprecedented economic and public health crisis our country is currently facing,” the letter said.

“During this difficult time of economic uncertainty and record unemployment, federal agencies are unfairly asking for repayment on tens of millions of dollars in loans and grants from Sandy.”