Cornyn: Trump agrees to more aid
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump agreed Thursday to a new storm relief package with money earmarked specifically for people hit by Hurricane Harvey, according to Texas Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
An unspecified sum, which is expected to come before Congress in November, would be in addition to $36.5 billion in general disaster aid that the Senate is expected to approve in the coming days for Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other areas hit by natural disasters.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers in Washington signed a letter earlier this month seeking $18.7 billion in funding specifically for relief and recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey.
But the pending $36.5 billion package,
which was approved by the House last week, addresses communities affected by all the recent hurricanes and wildfires, including Texas.
Cornyn said he met Thursday with Trump and budget director Mick Mulvaney and obtained a “commitment” for additional aid targeted at Texas. “It’s clear to me that Texas needs additional federal help for rebuilding needs,” Cornyn said.
‘Tip of the iceberg’
Last week’s House vote came after Abbott accused the Texas delegation of getting “rolled” by not securing more money specifically for the victims of Harvey, which struck the Gulf Coast in August, before subsequent hurricanes that hit Florida, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Texas lawmakers said that at least $15 billion could be claimed by Texans, who were the first to be hit and file claims through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Flood Insurance Program.
That legislation — now being cleared in the Senate — is intended to replenish FEMA’s funds, which have been seriously depleted by the string of recent disasters, as well as provide money for the flood insurance program, which is nearly $30 billion in debt.
Cornyn said that while Texans can benefit from the current legislation now being wrapped up, much more is needed.
“The problem … is the vast majority of people who suffered flood losses were not even covered by flood insurance,” he said. “So this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Abbott also was assured by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy last week that Congress would soon pony up more money specifically for Texas, where damages are expected to top $100 billion.
Congress eyes projects
So far, the state has benefitted mainly from a $15.25 billion emergency appropriation that Congress approved in September.
Cornyn said that Trump and Mulvaney agreed to the additional money for Texas, though he provided no specific dollar figure.
“The president strongly indicated his preference that a second appropriation request in November will include funds specifically to aid Texans recovering from Harvey,” Cornyn said.
He said Congress also is looking long-term at flood and storm control projects like the proposed “Ike dike” coastal barrier around Galveston. Other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects have been on the books for decades but remain unbuilt because they were never funded.
“A lot of the flooding in Houston in particular would have been mitigated if some of these important Corps of Engineers projects had actually been built,” he said.
Despite the administration’s new commitment, Cornyn said, it remains important for the Texas delegation — the largest Republican delegation in Congress — to keep up the pressure.
“I don’t want the federal government to kick the can down the road, because as time goes by there are other competing demands, as we have seen with other hurricanes and natural disasters,” Cornyn said. “I don’t want people to forget about Hurricane Harvey and the state of Texas.”
“The president strongly indicated his preference that a second appropriation request in November will include funds specifically to aid Texans recovering from Harvey.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn