Congress passes aid for Sandy survivors as advocates call for mitigation to prevent future damage

In Washington, the newly sworn-in Congress passed the first of several bills on Friday to authorize aid money for survivors of Superstorm Sandy. Many lawmakers from New York, New Jersey and other impacted states criticized Republican leaders for delaying the vote for multiple months after the storm. But others faulted the federal disaster relief programs for waste and inefficiency, and for not prioritizing mitigation efforts that could prevent future damage. On Capitol Hill, FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more.