Obama signs $50B Sandy relief measure

President Obama on Tuesday signed legislation providing $50.7 billion to help New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Hurricane Sandy, according to the White House.

The Senate approved the measure on Monday by a 62-36 vote.

The bill reached Obama several weeks after supporters had hoped Congress would sign off on the measure. The House did not approve a similar measure in the last days of the previous Congress.

“It was three months ago that Superstorm Sandy blew up the East Coast,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor Monday evening before the vote. “Sandy’s wrath was wide and it was deep. Nearly 300,000 families had their homes damaged. ... We can’t wait any longer, because nothing about this was a game for those families.”

The House passed its bill earlier this month in a bipartisan 241-180 vote.

--Ramsey Cox contributed to this report. 

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