Senate approves $36.5 billion disaster relief package

Catherine Garcia, The Week US's avatar
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The U.S. Capitol.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 82-17 to pass a $36.5 billion disaster aid package, which has already been approved by the House and is expected to be signed by President Trump.

The bill includes $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief program, $16 billion for the National Flood Insurance Program, nearly $600 million to fight wildfires, and funding for nutrition assistance to help low-income residents of Puerto Rico still reeling from Hurricane Maria. All of the "no" votes were from Republicans, who said they had issues with various parts of the legislation.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.