Following the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) decision to award New Jersey only $15 million in Superstorm Sandy funding of the nearly $1 billion designated for the National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) after Congress approved the Superstorm Sandy aid package, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and several Members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation have requested a meeting with HUD Secretary Julián Castro to discuss their serious concerns that New Jersey’s recovery efforts will be harmed by HUD’s decision.

 “There is no question that New Jersey has been shortchanged by HUD over the last three years, and this latest decision has setback our recovery effort once again,” said Smith, Dean of the NJ Delegation. “Despite our concerns with the NDRC, which we expressed at the outset, the administration moved forward, diverting funds away despite significant unmet needs of our state—including housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery.”

 In addition to Smith, the letter was signed by Representatives Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02), Tom MacArthur (NJ-03), Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Leonard Lance (NJ-07), and Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11).

 In part, the letter reads: “In the best interest of serving our constituents in New Jersey, each of us have serious questions regarding this decision, the process by which it was made and the serious implications it raises for our state and New Jersey families, both those impacted by Superstorm Sandy and those potentially impacted by future storms.”

 “While we believe that all areas across the country should be prepared and ready in the event of severe weather, our initial concerns have been validated—hundreds of millions of dollars specifically designated for the Sandy response and recovery are now going toward projects that will not assist victims still desperate for support from the hard hit East Coast states and to areas not impacted by Superstorm Sandy,” the letter continued.

 HUD set aside nearly $1 billion for the NDRC from its Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) Program, which was funded with the passage of the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (Public Law 113-2) to assist the victims of Superstorm Sandy. In 2014, Smith led a delegation meeting with then-Secretary Shaun Donovan and urged against diverting Sandy funds to a national resiliency competition with so many victims still out of their homes.

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