Obama to Ask Congress for $60 Billion in Storm Aid

State officials say they need at least $82 billion

President Barack Obama's administration will ask U.S. lawmakers to approve more than $60 billion in funding for East Coast states to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy.

Officials from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which were hit hard by the storm, had asked for much more, saying they needed at least $82 billion altogether to make emergency repairs and upgrade infrastructure to prevent similar damage from future storms.

"The request is crafted to afford maximum flexibility to state governments and we will continue to work with the administration and Congress as our needs arise," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said in a joint statement.