In the days after Harvey dumped a deluge over Houston and several nearby cities, the city of Port Arthur in southeast Texas works to recover with the help of the national guardsmen and local churches. (Sept. 4) AP
WASHINGTON — Having just returned from a monthlong recess, the House is racing to vote Wednesday on a nearly $7.9 billion disaster aid package to help Texas and Louisiana rebuild in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The measure is the first of several installments Congress is expected to consider.
The Senate is expected to follow suit possibly later this week with a vote on a relief package, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled Tuesday that the measure could be tied to efforts by Republican leaders and President Trump to also raise the nation's debt limit.
“I know that securing this emergency funding is very important for the president and I know that preventing a default or (government) shutdown amidst such a historic natural disaster is also very important to him," McConnell said on the Senate floor. “And even more so with another major hurricane on the way."
Hurricane Irma is headed toward islands in the Caribbean and could hit Florida later in the week.
McConnell said his top priorities are passing a disaster aid bill, preventing a government default and funding the government.
“We have to get all three of these things done and we have to do it very quickly,'' he said. “In the case of the debt limit, we need to act quickly given the new uncertainty from the large cost of storm recovery."
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the Republican whip, said raising the debt limit is critical to funding recovery aid for his state.
“FEMA, literally, is running out of funds at the end of this week unless we act with dispatch to appropriate an emergency supplemental this week as the House will do tomorrow," Cornyn also said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “And unless we raise the debt ceiling there will not be any way that Congress can actually appropriate that emergency funding and get it to the federal management agency to help those in so much need.’’
The controversial move could spur opposition. Some conservative lawmakers have raised concerns the Senate will try to tie the relief aid to an effort to raise the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow more money. House conservatives in particular have argued that any increase in the debt ceiling should be tied to significant cuts in federal spending.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has warned the government will run out of money to pay its bills by Sept. 29 unless lawmakers vote to raise the debt limit
The House relief bill is a standalone measure and is not tied to debt limit.
Trump requested a first installment of emergency spending, including $7.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund and $450,000 for the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the funding will help states affected by Hurricane Harvey with immediate recovery efforts.
“It is time to come together as a country to help one another and assist the individuals, families, and communities who have suffered so greatly," Frelinghuysen said in a statement Monday. “These funds are needed and they are needed now."
Harvey, which came ashore Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, caused major flooding in Texas, killing at least 60 people and destroying tens of thousands of homes and businesses.
The storm also drenched coastal Louisiana several days later.
State and federal officials are still calculating the cost of damages, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said it could exceed $125 billion in his state.
Trump visited the region Saturday, touring areas in Texas hit hard by Harvey and stopping briefly in Louisiana. The president, who had also gone to Texas earlier last week, vowed to push Congress to act quickly on disaster relief.
“We’ve pledged our full support as Texas and Louisiana battle and recover from this very devastating and historic storm,” Trump said.
The disaster relief fund had about $1 billion as of Sept. 5, according to FEMA. Of that, $541 million was immediately available for response and recovery efforts related to Harvey.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called this week's disaster aid package the “first step.’’
"Families and communities affected by Hurricane Harvey have a long road ahead, and the House will be with them every step of the way," he said in statement.
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Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said his panel is also ready to move quickly on disaster aid.
“Our committee is prepared to do its part to make resources available to those affected by Hurricane Harvey through the Disaster Relief Fund and other federal channels,’’ he said in a statement.
Money for agency’s disaster relief fund has been a divisive issue in Congress in the past, with some Democrats arguing it should be approved immediately to help disaster victims and spur recovery efforts and some Republicans demanding that any increase in disaster aid be contingent on spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.
The push for more Harvey aid could also face challenges from conservative lawmakers who have raised concerns about disaster aid packages that include funds for unrelated projects.
Contributing: Erin Kelly and Gregory Korte
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