Congress considers nearly doubling the disaster relief package requested by the White House to $81 billion
Republican lawmakers have proposed almost doubling the disaster aid funds requested by President Trump in November to $81 billion to cover hurricane damage in Texas, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, as well as devastating fires across the west. "This proposal would be the biggest single package for disaster relief in U.S. history," Axios writes.
The package arises as Congress is in the midst of wrestling with government funding, with several bills on the table in the House — "one with the relatively popular stuff (keeping government open and children's health insurance) and another one, which will include a six-month patch of a key surveillance law," Politico writes. "It's not yet clear how they'll handle the disaster supplemental."
But as fires continue to rage in Southern California, the urgency is felt. "This legislation is the next step in helping our fellow Americans recover from multiple, back-to-back, devastating disasters, including some of the largest major hurricanes, wildfires, and agriculture losses this country has ever seen," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If the bill is passed, 2017 could total more than $130 billion in emergency aid spending, which exceeds even what Hurricane Katrina cost taxpayers. In addition to billions for FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers, the $81 billion package also contains money for "education programs, highway rebuilding, small business loans, and military construction projects," Politico writes. The House could vote as early as Wednesday.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
4-day workweek gets boost from UK study
Speed Read Following a six-month trial, the majority of participating British companies are still using the truncated schedule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nvidia sees historic stock rise on AI chips success
Speed Read U.S. chipmaker Nvidia achieved the biggest one-day increase in value of any company in history
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York may seize Trump's assets for $450M penalty
Speed Read The former president likely owes $600 million from two civil judgments in New York
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published