The House Appropriations Committee today moved forward on legislation to provide $36.5 billion in emergency funding for hurricane and wildfire relief and recovery.

The legislation closely mirrors the funding requests submitted to Congress from the administration. It includes $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), $576.5 million for wildfire efforts, and $16 billion for debt relief for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which now needs additional funds to make necessary insurance claims payments to individuals. In addition, it includes a provision for the Disaster Nutrition Assistance Program (DNAP) to enable low-income residents in Puerto Rico to receive the same emergency nutrition assistance that other hurricane-affected states already receive.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the bill:

“These funds are urgently needed to get resources to families and communities that are still suffering. This legislation will continue immediate relief efforts, and help jump-start the rebuilding process. The bill also will provide recovery funds for this season’s devastating wildfires in the West.

“These funds are vital right now, in the near term, to get the aid where it is needed most. However, the recovery in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Texas and Florida will be ongoing, and more assistance will be required in the near future. My Committee will be vigilant in overseeing these funds and will continually monitor this crisis, and stands ready to provide the necessary funding to get these communities back on their feet.”

The text of the legislation can be found here: http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20171009/HR____SUPP.pdf

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