UNITED STATES: From left, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., conduct a news conference in the Capitol on New York's request for federal disaster relief to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
NEW YORK (AP) - Sen. Charles Schumer says New York expects to get tens of billions of dollars in federal money to cover damage from Superstorm Sandy.
However, the New York Democrat tells reporters that it's not a done deal. He says he and other New York officials are staging an intense lobbying effort in Washington to make sure the money is approved before year's end.
The supplemental federal funds for New York under discussion top $40 billion.
Schumer says the money should cover destroyed homes, transit systems, hospitals and small businesses.
The senator says more than 300,000 homes had "serious damage."