President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden tour the damage caused by the August 21, 2023 wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii. The president is due to inspect the state of Florida’s hurricane damage on Saturday.
Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden tour the damage caused by the August 21, 2023 wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii. The president is due to inspect the state of Florida’s hurricane damage on Saturday.
Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images
The White House is asking Congress for an additional $4 billion in emergency funding to cover the costs of recent natural disasters in Hawaii, Florida and elsewhere.
The White House told Congress last month that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund needed $12 billion. But on Friday, the White House said that wasn’t enough and increased its demands to a total of $16 billion, citing fires in Maui and Louisiana, flooding in Vermont and Hurricane Idalia in Florida.
President Biden’s Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood Randall told reporters on Thursday, “All Americans expect FEMA to come to them when disaster strikes. I know,” he said.
“We want to make sure we can fund the support these communities need,” she said.
Congress is due to return from recess next week.
The FEMA funding request is part of a larger emergency funding request now totaling $44 billion, and the Biden administration needs more than Congress has already authorized to spend to address critical challenges. claims.
The request includes $24 billion in Ukrainian war-related costs and $4 billion in immigration and southern border costs.
