Senate passes $15B disaster aid measure, debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — The Senate rubber-stamped President Donald Trump’s deal with Democrats Thursday, approving a stopgap bill that includes $15 billion in disaster aid, funds government operations to avoid a shutdown and lifts the nation’s debt ceiling.
The Senate voted 80-17 to approve the measure, one day after a deal was struck by Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill offered “certainty and stability” for first responders and ongoing disaster relief that would not be disrupted by a government shutdown or a default on U.S. financial obligations.
Nevada Sens. Dean Heller, a Republican, and Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, voted for the measure, which keeps the government operating until Dec. 8.
The 17 “no” votes in the Senate were all Republicans, some who sought cuts in entitlement spending with a lift on the ceiling for government borrowing.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against the measure. He had proposed an amendment that called for cuts in foreign aid as a tradeoff for increased spending for disasters.
“Moving forward, any new spending should be offset by significant reforms,” Paul said before the vote.
Approval of the Senate measure sends it back to the House where it is expected to be taken up as early as Friday.
The House overwhelmingly approved a smaller version of the disaster bill earlier this week, but the legislation could now face headwinds — not because of the increased price tag — but because the debt ceiling lift and extended government funding were attached.
Members of the Republican Study Group, the largest GOP caucus in the House, denounced the deal between Trump and Democrats. But some lawmakers in the group are from Texas, which is expected to see damage from Hurricane Harvey exceed $100 billion.
The hurricane aid in the Senate bill includes $7.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to replenish disaster accounts depleted by Harvey, $450 million for the Small Business Authority loan program and $7.4 billion for a Community Development Block Grant program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs for 2017 disasters.
Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Congress “has a duty to ensure that government operations are maintained and that our country’s financial obligations are met.”
“Passing this legislation allows us to fulfill these responsibilities,” he said.
The disaster funding is considered a “down payment” for hurricane damage.
The funds could also be used by FEMA for damages that could come from Hurricane Irma, which is barreling across the Caribbean and headed for southern Florida.
Trump has already approved disaster declarations for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Florida, where evacuations are underway.
Contact Gary Martin at 202-662-7390 or gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.
Shoring up FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is set to run out of money by Friday. The agency has only a few hundred million dollars, and it's spending it fast.
"Earlier today, we had a conference call with FEMA officials, and the latest update is that FEMA has approximately $460 million remaining in its disaster relief fund," Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., said at the Miami-Dade County Emergency Operations Center in Doral on Thursday. "They are spending at a clip of $200 million a day."
The hurricane aid passed by the Senate Thursday includes $7.4 billion for FEMA, which would give the agency 37.5 more days of funding if it spends about $200 million a day.
