A handful of Republican senators headed to the White House on Thursday in an effort to break an impasse over relief funding for Midwestern and Southern states affected by recent natural disasters.
Senate Democrats have insisted on including Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico, which is expected to run out of funds to reimburse healthcare providers under the program sometime next year.
However, President Trump has told Republicans that Puerto Rico, whose leadership he has publicly sparred with, already received enough federal funding.
“That will clearly be a part of the conversation,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who as governor of Florida and now one of the state’s senators has made issues concerning the U.S. territory a priority. “It’s very important to me that we continue to support Puerto Rico after [Hurricane] Maria.”
“Now, it’s got to be accountable, we’ve got to spend the money well, things like that,” Scott said. “But I’m going to continue to fight for my home state of Florida, but also for the people in Puerto Rico … I want to make sure they get the aid they need.”
[Read more: Devastating flooding in Midwest after bomb cyclone: ‘This could last for quite some time’]
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the point person and chief negotiator for Republicans on funding issues in the chamber, said the meeting, which would also include Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, was to understand what Trump would agree to in a counteroffer that Republicans will make Democrats.
“We’re going to discuss where we are and where we think we might go,” said Shelby, who added that he and his counterpart Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., “haven’t agreed to anything yet. This is preliminary to us making another offer.”
