BY KIRK MOORE, Asbury Park Press Staff -- Five Republican congressmen from New Jersey on Wednesday asked to meet with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to discuss the long time lags in delivering post-superstorm Sandy rebuilding aid to homeowners — and rumors that a third round of funding could be cut.

High on the list of concerns is the time it takes to complete “duplication of benefits analysis” — a lengthy accountability system that HUD requires to make certain that homeowners and small businesses applying for aid need government help because they don’t have the insurance and resources to rebuild on their own.

To read more stories about superstorm Sandy recovery, see Jersey Shore Rebuilds.

“Far too many of our constituents remain out of our homes, stuck in limbo while trying to navigate the grant application and reimbursement process,” reads the letter authored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, and co-signed by Reps. Frank LoBiondo, Jon Runyan, Leonard Lance, and Rodney Frelinghuysen, all R-NJ.

The letter is also addressed to Michael Boots, acting chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. Another delaying factor for grant applicants has been the federal requirement for site-specific environmental and historical reviews, the congressmen said.

The letter comes after weeks of Democratic lawmakers criticizing how Gov. Chris Christie’s administration has handled the HUD Community Development Block Grants, and Christie countering that delays are the fault of HUD rules. On Monday, state Sen. Jennifer Beck and other New Jersey lawmakers called for less criticism and more cooperation, with Beck warning she has heard unofficial reports that HUD might reduce a third round of block grants that could cut aid to homeowners still on waiting lists for grants to elevate their homes.

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