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South Florida Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, are asking Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney to request more money for hurricane relief.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration spends millions every day for hurricane recovery after Harvey, Irma and Maria, and a group of lawmakers from Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico are warning the government could run out of money soon. Mulvaney runs the Cabinet agency tasked with overseeing President Donald Trump's budget.
“While federal agencies, including FEMA and HUD, continue to assess the damage and the costs of restoration, we are increasingly concerned [current] funds could be expended more quickly than expected,” Diaz-Balart and Wasserman Schultz wrote to Mulvaney. “We are concerned the agencies responsible for the recovery could run out of funds in the near term and be forced to await Congressional action to continue their vital work. This could greatly slow their efforts as well as have a significant long-term impact on the recovery.”
Diaz-Balart and Wasserman Schultz led the letter, which was also signed by Miami-area Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Frederica Wilson along with 34 other members of Congress.
"As representatives of those districts that have been severely affected by the recent natural disasters, we urge the Office of Management and Budget to send Congress a request for additional supplemental appropriations, that includes funding for, but is not limited to, FEMA, SBA (Small Business Administration), and CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant), as soon as possible to address the urgent needs of our constituents," the letter said.
Congress passed a $15.25 billion hurricane relief package in September after Hurricane Harvey and the funds can be used for relief in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. FEMA has enough money to function through mid-October, according to multiple members of Congress, giving lawmakers about two weeks to pass an additional funding bill.
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