Mammoth disaster aid package languishes..

Mammoth disaster aid package could languish for weeks

The far-reaching bill, with huge sums for FEMA, housing and public works programs, nearly doubles the White House’s own disaster request last month.

By SARAH FERRIS

The House on Thursday passed an $81 billion emergency aid bill to help communities in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and California rebuild after a spate of natural disasters this year.

The House bill, which ultimately passed on a 251-169 vote, had help from 69 Democrats, including many from Texas, Florida and California.

But the massive assistance package has run into resistance in the Senate, making it nearly impossible for the aid to be delivered by year’s end.

“Disaster is a lot more complicated, a lot more moving parts, a lot more varied interests, competition between various jurisdictions over who gets what. So it’s just not likely,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Thursday when asked about the chances of passage this week. “I would love it if we could, but that’s not likely.”

Democratic leaders in both chambers have strongly condemned the House GOP’s aid package, signaling that the bill could sit for weeks until Congress returns in January.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York ticked off a long list of problems with the bill, mostly related to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Specifically, he called for more help for Puerto Rico’s cash-strapped Medicaid program and fixes to the GOP’s tax bill to prevent a disproportionate hike in taxes on the island.

“Because of these inadequacies in the bill, the disaster supplemental may slip to next year,” Schumer warned on the Senate floor.

Rep. Nita Lowey, a top House Democrat, accused GOP leaders of wasting time by creating a “poor product that will not be enacted into law.”

But Senate GOP leaders would need to get unanimous consensus to fast-track the disaster package on its own. If a lawmaker like Schumer objected, the chamber would need to go through the motions with 30 hours of debate.

“It’d take us a whole week,” Cornyn said Thursday, just hours before both chambers planned to leave for Christmas.

The far-reaching bill, with huge sums for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, housing and public works programs, nearly doubles the White House’s own disaster request from last month.

Most of the aid is not immediately doled out to states. Instead, it will be distributed through grants over the next few months, after lengthy applications from local leaders.

If approved, Congress will have spent a record $133 billion on natural disasters this year. This package would be the largest single outlay in U.S. history.

GOP leaders say much of the funding would go toward recovery and rebuilding after the most disastrous storm and wildfire seasons in recent memory. The bill includes $27.6 billion for FEMA, $26.1 billion for Community Development Block Grants and $12.11 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers.

The large size of this disaster bill has rattled House conservatives, who have demanded the cost to be offset with spending cuts to other domestic programs. Fifty-one House Republicans ultimately opposed the package, including Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.

It was more than just the conservative House Freedom Caucus who wavered. Even some reliable leadership allies told the GOP whip team this afternoon that they were “undecided” on the bill.

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said he has issues with the total size of the bill, as well as a $12 billion mitigation fund.

“When you're talking $37 billion above the [Office of Management and Budget] request, that’s a significant amount of money. And it’s not like it’s free money, this is borrowed money. So I think you’ve got to be careful,” Womack told POLITICO before the vote. He ultimately voted in favor.

Influential conservative groups like Heritage Action and the Club for Growth also urged Republicans to oppose the bill, arguing that most of the funding is not for emergency purposes.

That internal resistance gave House Republican leaders extremely tight margins, requiring them to lean on at least some Democrats to clear the package.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and his deputies were under pressure to deliver the aid this week, with dozens of Republicans from Texas and Florida threatening to gum up the works on a spending bill.

“It’s crucial for the folks that are struggling,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), who signed a letter along with 37 other lawmakers saying they wouldn’t leave town without aid for their home states. Diaz-Balart wouldn't say on Thursday whether he’d hold up that threat, however.

“We have to step up, and I think we will,” he said.