Trump to donate $1m

Washington, Sept. 1: US president Donald Trump will donate $1 million of his personal money for flood relief operations in Texas and Louisiana, which have been hit by the catastrophic Hurricane Harvey, the White House has said.

“He will pledge, proudly, a million dollars of his own personal money to help the people of both Texas and Louisiana,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Ms Sanders said Trump is looking for suggestions on best and most effective way to help and provide aid.

Meanwhile, the White House has prepared a request to Congress for an initial $5.9 billion package in Harvey recovery aid, a first down payment to make sure recovery efforts over the next few weeks are adequately funded.

The Trump proposal, which is being finalised pending White House consultations

I’m happy to tell you that he (Trump) is pledging a million dollars of personal money to the fund

Sarah Sanders, WH press secy

with key Republicans, promises to represent just a fraction of an eventual Harvey recovery package that could rival the $100-billion-plus in taxpayer-financed help for victims of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

A senior administration official said the plan will be sent to Congress on Friday and House and Senate votes appear likely next week. The official was not authorised to release the information publicly before a final decision is made and spoke on condition of anonymity.