Biden Seeks $98 Billion in Hurricane Relief Funding
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking more than $98 billion in emergency disaster relief funding from Congress to address the devastation from recent back-to-back hurricanes that hammered the U.S. southeast and left billions in damage.
The president’s budget chief, Shalanda Young, on a call Nov. 18 sought to convey a sense of urgency, warning that agencies on the ground helping affected residents were running low on funds to address the situation and saying there was “no room for politics in disaster relief.”
“Now that Congress has returned, the administration is once again transmitting an emergency supplemental funding request to Congress so we can work together in a bipartisan manner to deliver the support and relief our communities need and deserve,” said Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The administration will send its request to lawmakers on Nov. 18, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing above or go here for more info
Hurricane Milton hammered Florida in early October with Category 3 winds just weeks after Hurricane Helene caused large-scale flooding and devastation in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The damage from Milton alone could be around $50 billion, Biden said in October.
Short-term federal response funding for Helene and Milton has been supported through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, according to Young, but that account is running low and doesn’t cover needed costs for long-term recovery, including housing, agriculture losses and certain transportation infrastructure.
The administration’s request includes a $40 billion ask for the Department of Homeland Security to provide funding for FEMA’s disaster relief fund, meant to address expected disaster costs through fiscal year 2025.
In addition, the administration is seeking $24 billion for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide help to farmers who experienced crop or livestock losses, aid with debris removal in impacted communities, repair rural infrastructure, and bolster grants for food and nutrition programs.
The request also includes $12 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development; $8 billion for the Transportation Department; $4 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency for water-system upgrades to mitigate future damages from natural disasters and for additional recovery work; and $3 billion for Health and Human Services to keep up health care in hurricane-hit areas.
Host Seth Clevenger and Features Coordinator Mike Senatore take you behind the scenes to unveil the 2024 Top 50 Global Freight Companies. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
Congress must pass a government funding bill by Dec. 20 to avoid a shutdown and House Republican leaders are hopeful they can approve a stopgap into March, allowing incoming President-elect Donald Trump and a GOP-controlled Senate to work with them to put into place their own funding priorities.
Federal agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Department of Homeland Security have written to congressional leaders pushing for the need to replenish key disaster response programs and fund long-term recovery for communities suffering since 2022, according to Young.
The last time Congress passed a similar package was in December 2022, she said.
While disaster aid typically draws support from both parties, funding has repeatedly been caught up in partisan battles in recent years.
Congress and previous administrations provided $90 billion in aid after Hurricane Katrina in 2005; more than $50 billion for Hurricane Sandy in 2013; and over $120 billion following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017.
