close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

    • Biden seeks 0 billion for hurricane and other disaster recovery
    asane

    Biden seeks $100 billion for hurricane and other disaster recovery

    Online Niel Posted on

    play

    WASHINGTON – The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve nearly $100 billion in emergency funding to help it respond to a series of disasters that have reduced government resources.

    The request, filed Monday, includes $40 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide help afterwards Hurricane Helene and Miltonwhich caused catastrophic damage in Florida and several other southeastern states in September and October.

    Some of the additional funding the administration is requesting would also be used to respond to other emergencies like the one last year. devastating wildfires in Maui, tornadoes in the Midwest and the collapse Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March.

    “This relief is important,” White House budget director Shalanda Young told reporters. “Families, small businesses, neighborhoods and communities rely on their government to be there for them when they need help most.”

    FEMA has enough money to meet recovery efforts for Helene and Milton through the end of the year, assuming no other major disasters, FEMA administrator said Deanne Criswell said. But the agency is running out of money and won’t have enough to get through the rest of the fiscal year, which runs through the end of September, without additional funding, she said.

    Congress, which returned to work last week after the Nov. 5 presidential election after lawmakers spent more than a month in their districts, must decide whether to accept the request through stand-alone legislation or as part of an end-of-life spending package of year.

    Beyond Helene: The hurricane death toll exceeds 300 with a month left in the season

    Young and Criswell hoped Monday that the package would receive bipartisan approval.

    “As President Biden said, there are no Democrats, there are no Republicans when it comes to providing this relief,” Young said.

    The administration’s funding request includes $24 billion for the Department of Agriculture to provide assistance to farmers who have suffered crop or livestock losses from natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires or drought, and to help communities with removal debris and make other repairs.

    The administration is also seeking $12 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and to deal with other emergency recovery efforts over the past two years. It seeks $8 billion for the Department of Transportation to build, repair or rebuild highways, bridges and roads in more than 40 states that have been severely damaged by disasters.

    Another $2 billion would go to Small business administration to provide low-interest disaster loans to businesses, homeowners, renters and nonprofits.

    All together, the administration is requesting disaster funding for 16 departments or agencies.

    Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow X @mcollinsNEWS.

    Online Niel
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like