By Jennifer Scholtes
The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress a roughly $100 billion emergency funding request to rebuild communities hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton, along with a slew of other disasters nationwide.
Top lawmakers plan to spend the next few weeks finalizing a bipartisan bill that fulfills at least some of that request, with a goal of final passage sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since Congress also faces a government shutdown deadline on Dec. 20, itās possible disaster aid gets tied into a spending patch or broader funding package.
Besides $40 billion to refill FEMAās disaster relief fund, the White House isĀ seeking emergency fundingĀ for more than a dozen other federal agencies that handle housing support, transportation infrastructure, aid to farmers, nutrition assistance, health services and improvements to water systems. The request also details funding for community development, schools, wildland firefighter pay and employment support for disaster survivors.
āAnd weāre going to make sure we deliver for the hurricane victims and the people that have suffered from that,ā the speaker added.
White House budget director Shalanda Young said the Biden administration expects to get a disaster aid package enacted āwith strong bipartisan and bicameral support,ā and that she is ānot surprisedā Johnson has āgiven people comfort that funding is on the way, and thereās no room for politics in disaster relief.ā
As long as Congress clears disaster aid before the December funding deadline, FEMA estimates that the nationās disaster relief fund will have enough cash to keep funding recovery work, assuming no large disasters strike in the meantime.
The Small Business Administrationās disaster loan program, however, has been out of cash for over a month. So more than 10,000 loan offers are now on pause for homeowners and businesses trying to borrow money to repair properties or cover operating expenses.
āLet me be clear, small businesses need this funding ā homeowners also use this funding as a critical source of rebuilding, in addition to nonprofits and renters,ā Young said in a news briefing. āThis fund must immediately, as soon as possible, be replenished.ā
In the Senate last week, Sen.Ā Thom TillisĀ (R-N.C.) tried to pass a narrow bill to refill the Small Business Administrationās disaster loan program. But Sen.Ā Rand PaulĀ (R-Ky.) objected, insisting on an amendment to offset the cost by clawing back funding from climate programs that Democrats enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Congress hasnāt cleared a comprehensive disaster aid package since 2022. In the meantime, congressional Republicans have continually ignored the Biden administrationās requests for disaster assistance. That includes aĀ $4 billion proposal last summerĀ seeking funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as well as aĀ $56 billion request last yearĀ that also sought emergency cash for other priorities, including schools, child care providers and nutrition assistance.