WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is pushing ahead on a $36.5 billion hurricane relief package that would give Puerto Rico a much-needed infusion of cash.
The measure also would replenish rapidly dwindling emergency disaster accounts and provide $16 billion to permit the financially troubled federal flood insurance program to pay an influx of Harvey-related claims. But it rejects requests from the powerful Texas and Florida congressional delegations for additional money to rebuild after hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
The measure was certain to sail through Monday’s procedural vote and a final vote was expected no later than Tuesday. That would send the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature.
There is urgency to move the measure swiftly — rather than add more money to it at this time — because the government’s flood insurance reserves are running out.
Still, members of the Texas and Florida delegations in Congress are unhappy because the measure failed to address extensive requests for additional hurricane rebuilding funds. Texas, inundated by Harvey in August, requested $19 billion, while Florida sought $27 billion.
“I’m pretty disappointed with what the House sent over,” Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday. But later, after speaking to both Trump and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, Cornyn said he was promised that the White House would issue another disaster aid measure next month that would provide much-needed help for Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. A fourth, and perhaps final, measure is likely to anchor a year-end spending bill.
The measure currently before the Senate contains $577 million for wildfires out West that forced agencies to tap other reserves for firefighting accounts and FEMA money for the disastrous fires in northern California.
Republicans dragged their feet last year on modest requests by former President Barack Obama to combat the Zika virus and help Flint, Michigan, repair its lead-tainted water system. But they are moving quickly to take care of this year’s alarming series of disasters, quickly passing a $15.3 billion relief measure last month and signaling that another installment is coming next month.
What, you mean congress can occasionally still do thing just a little bit useful?
If I read this article correctly, between Texas and Florida, they originally requested $46 billion for hurricane relief. That doesn’t include what Puerto Rico requested or needs. The total amount the Senate is allocating is nearly $10 billion less than what Texas and Florida asked for, and doesn’t account for PR, if that’s the case. A little less than half a billion for wildfires?? Who in the hell is doing tRump’s bean counting? They don’t mind giving massive tax cuts to the 1% but they can’t find enough money to pay for disaster mitigation and relief? That’s where these goopers put their priorities, you could say.
Also, it should be mentioned these Repukes have had 5 years to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program and have extended taking any action on that until the beginning of December. Its pretty hard to make people whole or even rebuild without that money available to jumpstart areas hard hit by this year’s disasters. So no NFIP, no CHIP (still), massive proposed cuts to FEMA funding in the GOP’s budget along with other vital agencies…but funding a dumb border wall??..Its enough to make you sick.
Also there’s this:
This EO got rid of an Obama (of course, who else?) era rule that said building pipelines should take into consideration changes from global warming and increased risk to flood zones, which the Obama administration had raised to a higher standard, that being a 500 year flood elevation. It also made building higher by two feet on property to a 100 year flood elevation, if the 500 year flood elevation was not utilized.
I guess the best you can hope for from this administration is that if you get hit by a disaster, hope and pray you live where tRump voters live (if you can stand the stench), otherwise you may have a hard time getting the kind of help you might need at some point.
Oh and don’t forget that they (and Dems) somehow found an extra $57.4 billion to give to the DoD on top of the $639.1 billion they actually asked for.
Don’t worry, the Trump “tax cuts” will surely make up for all this spending. Now, gaze directly into the mirror…