The Senate passed a $36.5 billion disaster aid package on Tuesday aimed at helping states and U.S. territories recover from hurricanes and wildfires, sending the bill to the White House for President Trump’s signature.
The vote was held open for nearly two hours to allow Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., return from his corruption trial in Newark. But he never returned, and the Senate passed the bill 82-17, without his vote.
The legislation passed the House this month and was approved by the upper chamber despite objections from senators representing Texas and Florida, who say the bill does not provide enough money to help their states rebuild from hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas last week abandoned a last-minute effort to add money to the bill. He had assembled a coalition of lawmakers from states afflicted by hurricanes and western wildfires, as well as senators advocating for Puerto Rico, which was ravaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria.
But he dropped the push for additional money after President Trump and his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, called to reassure Cornyn and other lawmakers from afflicted states that they would send another aid package to Congress by mid-November.
In the meantime, both Cornyn and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., have placed a procedural hold on President Trump’s pick to serve as the Office of Management and Budget deputy, Russell T. Vought, as a way to ensure the president sends the new request.
The hold slows down the nomination, by does not block it.
“I will take the White House at its word and this ought to be all worked out in November,” Nelson said Tuesday.
Just before the vote, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., complained that the Senate should have paid for the disaster relief bill by using existing federal funds, instead of adding to the $20.4 trillion national debt. Paul also called for a procedural vote against the bill to protest how it would increase the natioanl debt, but the Senate voted 80-19 to waive his concern about spending.
Lawmakers from Florida and Texas have submitted funding requests in writing for the November bill. Texas lawmakers are asking for about $18 billion in federal aid while Florida is seeking $27 billion. Puerto Rico will need billions more in federal aid to help rebuild infrastructure and the island’s power grid.
Much of the money in the latest legislation will replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund used to provide humanitarian relief. The legislation also provides FEMA with $16 billion in debt relief for the national flood insurance program, which is insolvent.
Republicans have long resisted a bailout for the program, which has not been seriously reformed in many years.
The conservative Heritage Action called on Senate lawmakers to vote against the bill because of the flood insurance program bailout.
“Federal relief to victims of hurricanes is warranted, but Congress must act in a fiscally responsible manner by offsetting funding that is not truly ‘emergency’ in nature,” the group said in a statement.
