White House asks Congress for $100B in aid for hurricanes, other disasters

The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress a roughly $100 billion emergency funding request to rebuild communities hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton, along with a slew of other disasters nationwide.

Top lawmakers plan to spend the next few weeks finalizing a bipartisan bill that fulfills at least some of that request, with a goal of final passage sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since Congress also faces a government shutdown deadline on Dec. 20, it’s possible disaster aid gets tied into a spending patch or broader funding package.

Besides $40 billion to refill FEMA’s disaster relief fund, the White House is seeking emergency funding for more than a dozen other federal agencies that handle housing support, transportation infrastructure, aid to farmers, nutrition assistance, health services and improvements to water systems. The request also details funding for community development, schools, wildland firefighter pay and employment support for disaster survivors.