GOP lawmakers introduce bill to fund White House hurricane relief request

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Sunday said the House Appropriations Committee has introduced new legislation to match President Trump’s initial request for relief funding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

“Families and communities affected by Hurricane Harvey have a long road ahead, and the House will be with them every step of the way,” Ryan said in a statement.

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“The president has made clear Texas and Louisiana will have the resources they need, and this package is our first step of keeping that promise.”

The legislation, the text of which was released on Sunday by House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), matches the initial $7.85 billion requested by President Trump, including $7.4 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF).

“These funds are needed, and they are needed now,” Frelinghuysen said in a statement. “I expect the House to move rapidly to approve the assistance.”

Releasing the text of the legislation so soon enables lawmakers to vote on the bill as soon as they return to Congress from their summer recess, according to Politico.