Pallone Marks 13 Years Since Sandy, Condemns Trump’s Destruction of FEMA and Republican Cuts to Coastal Protection
LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today marked the 13th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, which devastated the Jersey Shore on October 29, 2012. Pallone reflected on the storm’s destruction and the years of work it took to rebuild, highlighting his record of delivering relief for survivors and warning that Trump’s political interference and reckless Republican budget cuts have weakened the nation’s disaster response.
“Sandy changed everything for New Jersey,” Pallone said. “It showed what happens when government fails to respond quickly and competently. I fought for years to fix those failures and deliver relief, but Trump has done the opposite. He has hollowed out FEMA, froze disaster payments, and turned recovery into a political weapon.”
Earlier this year, Pallone secured permanent financial relief for Sandy survivors when the Department of Housing and Urban Development agreed to waive millions in federal clawbacks, ending the government’s effort to take back disaster aid from New Jersey homeowners. He worked with the New Jersey Organizing Project, a grassroots group created to fight for disaster reform after Hurricane Sandy, to help reach hurricane suvivors like Diane Quaranta of Point Pleasant and Katherine DuPont of Highlands grappling with the stress of this unfair government clawback. He also won a legislative fix to halt new FEMA recoupment cases and continues to press for full forgiveness of disaster aid debt.
"After 13 years, The 'Sandy Storm Nightmare' has finally ended for us. We were victims of the Sandy Storm and also victims of a broken disaster recovery system. It took us five years to rebuild and move back into our home as we battled recalcitrant insurance companies and the red tape nightmare of state and federal storm recovery policies. Then, years later, many received the dreaded clawback letter. We had so many years where it felt like we hadn’t recovered at all. We were fortunate to learn about the New Jersey Organizing Project, a group composed of Sandy Storm survivors. With NJOP, we presented our case to DCA, and within the first week they found a $16,000 error. We kept meticulous receipts, everything was approved, and we followed all the rules. It seemed to me there were a lot of errors on their part. Two weeks later, we were granted clawback forgiveness of $80,000 dollars. We are appreciative for their support and guidance as we traveled our recovery journey. We are grateful for the unwavering support of Congressman Pallone. He was always there for the Sandy Storm survivors. We were not alone,” Diane Quaranta, Point Pleasant, NJ.
"I got my clawback letter the day I was arranging my mother’s funeral. I thought it was going to be a letter saying ‘You’ve met your requirements, it’s fine,’ but they claimed they wanted $73,000 dollars back. When the freeze ended, I started getting all my files and pictures together to see if my numbers could be lowered. It was at a New Jersey Organizing Project meeting that I found out I could be eligible for forgiveness. My husband had passed away, in part due to the stress of Sandy recovery. He was on the deed, the grant paperwork, everything, and because of this my clawback could be forgiven. At this point, I’m just grateful that I stayed, and I got help. I still get worried around Halloween, and during certain weather, but I gained a new appreciation for the people that came and helped us. I am grateful to be part of NJOP's ongoing effort to help homeowners who have received recoupment letters,” Katherine DuPont, Highlands, NJ.
Pallone has also led congressional oversight to restore accountability at FEMA. Under Trump, FEMA canceled $11 billion in disaster payments, diverted staff to immigration enforcement during hurricane season, and broke federal law by withholding shelter funds. Pallone led a series of formal letters demanding action, including an August letter to Secretary Kristi Noem warning that diverting FEMA staff to ICE would cripple emergency response, and a September 25 letter to the White House calling for Noem and Acting Administrator Richardson to be fired after the Government Accountability Office confirmed FEMA violated the law six times by illegally withholding funds.
Pallone also condemned House Republicans for cutting federal beach replenishment funding in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the first time in nearly 30 years.
“Cutting these projects is reckless and short-sighted,” Pallone said. “Beach replenishment protects homes, businesses, and local economies. Turning off that funding puts coastal communities directly in harm’s way at a time when storms are only getting stronger.”