The House and Senate aren’t scheduled to travel backmost until Nov. 14. Without a dearth of national cash, Congress apt won’t get superior astir a catastrophe alleviation bundle until aft the midterm elections. Congressional leaders could see the wealth successful a year-end authorities spending woody that would support national agencies funded beyond Dec. 16.
Rubio’s petition comes aft helium and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott sent a missive earlier this period urging legislature appropriators to drum up an assistance bundle for the authorities “at the earliest opportunity.”
“Hurricane Ian volition beryllium remembered and studied arsenic 1 of the astir devastating hurricanes to deed the United States,” the senators wrote. “A robust and timely national response, including done supplemental programs and funding, volition beryllium required to guarantee that capable resources are provided to rebuild captious infrastructure and nationalist services capableness and to assistance our chap Floridians successful rebuilding their lives.”
Rubio besides said connected CNN’s “State of the Union” earlier this period that helium would combat against specified a bundle “having pork,” oregon unrelated argumentation provisions and spending. Scott has said the catastrophe assistance should beryllium abstracted from a authorities backing package.
Nearly a decennary ago, Rubio opposed billions of dollars for Hurricane Sandy victims, citing unnecessary spending and unrelated provisions that get crammed into assistance packages. He did, however, backmost a smaller, GOP-led bundle astatine the time.
Rubio’s petition besides outlined $400 cardinal to assistance Florida fisheries and debris removal, $150 cardinal for the Coast Guard, $120 cardinal to cleanable up wildlife areas and nationalist parks and $5 cardinal for Community Development Block Grants.
He’s besides seeking a reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program and expedited biology permitting to velocity up projects successful disaster-affected areas.
Burgess Everett contributed to this report.
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