President Biden asked Congress on Monday for more than $98 billion in emergency funding to help cover the costs of recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
The majority of the money would go toward the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Agriculture Department, but there are requests for 16 agencies, including Housing and Urban Development and the Transportation Department to help repair housing and rebuild infrastructure.
Congress last passed disaster funding two years ago. Since then, the two hurricanes tore through the southeast, killing more than 200 people and causing millions of dollars of damage,
Shalanda Young, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told reporters that the Biden administration continues to provide federal support after the devastating fires in Maui, tornadoes across the Midwest and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
There were also severe storms in Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, New Mexico, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, Young said. "It is absolutely critical that these communities know that their government has not forgotten them."
The largest chunk of funding — about $40 billion — would be for FEMA's disaster relief fund, so that it has enough money to last through the coming year. The White House is also requesting $24 billion for the USDA to help farmers hit by disasters, and for school lunch programs and food banks in affected regions.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters that 2024 has been "a year of records." In 2024, there have been 172 disaster declarations, she said, compared to 113 the previous year.
"We saw the second-busiest spring tornado season ever recorded," she said. "And we've seen, overall, a 50% increase in disaster activity."
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