Congress approves another round of hurricane, wildfire funding
Source: The Washington Post
By Ed O'Keefe October 24 at 4:12 PM
Congress gave final approval on Tuesday to a $36.5 billion emergency spending plan to pay for ongoing relief from recent natural disasters — but lawmakers from storm-ravaged states are expecting more money the next time the White House asks for more emergency funding.
The spending deal includes $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to natural disasters stretching from the storm-scarred beaches of Puerto Rico to the scorched vineyards of Northern California. There’s also a $16 billion increase in the National Flood Insurance Program’s borrowing limit; $576.5 million to address wildfires in the West; and $1.2 billion for nutrition assistance programs that will provide low-income Puerto Rican residents relief after Hurricane Maria slammed the island.
Relief for Puerto Rico dominated the latest round of emergency funding, with more than 80 percent of the island still without power more than a month after the storm and growing concerns that a failure to restore power and provide basic services to residents could cause a mass exodus to the mainland United States.
The bill now goes to President Trump for his signature.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/congress-approves-another-round-of-hurricane-wildfire-funding/2017/10/24/297d4360-b82d-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html
