WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is finalizing a $29 billion disaster aid package that includes $16 billion to bolster the controversial government-backed…
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is finalizing a $29 billion disaster aid package that includes $16 billion to bolster the controversial government-backed flood insurance program, according to the Associated Press.
Another $13 billion would be earmarked for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help hurricane victims, coming on top of $15 billion Congress approved last month.
Texas officials have said the devastation from Hurricane Harvey in August is likely to surpass $100 billion, and that Congress is expected to pass several tranches of storm aid in the coming months.
« This is going to be extraordinarily expensive and I think we need to get some money out there, » House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N. J., told the AP.
The flood insurance program is on track to run out of its $30 billion line of credit to pay claims later this month.
The AP reported that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., met with lawmakers from Texas and Florida on Tuesday to brief them on the White House request.
« Remember, this is emergency money. You’ve got to deal with the problem, » McCarthy told reporters. « So I think we’ll be able to get this done. »
While the storm aid is not contentious, the flood insurance program is. Some critics say it subsidizes properties on the coasts and in low-lying areas that repeatedly flood.
The new storm aid requests comes a day after President Donald Trump visited Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria. Critics contend that the administration’s response in Puerto Rico has not been as robust as it was in storm-ravaged Texas and Florida.
