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After experiencing natural disasters caused by fires on Maui and due to flooding from Hurricane Idalia that affected Florida, President Joe Biden intends to allocate an additional $4 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund.
Faced with the magnitude of the destruction in the affected communities, the president signed a major disaster declaration to boost recovery efforts.
In this regard, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a statement referring to other affected areas in the country where funds are required to rebuild them as soon as possible.
“Given the intensity of disaster activity across the country – including wildfires in Maui, Louisiana and across the country, massive flooding in Vermont, and now a major hurricane that has hit Florida and the Southeast – the Administration is seeking an additional $4 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), “says part of the letter.
For his part, OMB asked Congress to raise the DRF to $16 billion for post-disaster funding.
However, the president of the nation is aware that convincing Congress to approve his request may be difficult because some senators consider it unnecessary to support citizens affected by natural disasters.
“Some of my colleagues, my former colleagues in the Senate … think that this disaster relief money that we are asking to continue to finish the work so far and have enough money to continue working to save the American people: their lives, their homes, their well-beingsomehow it is not necessary.
We need this disaster relief to be fulfilled, and we have to do it in September, it can’t wait,” he said.
Meanwhile, just as he did a few days ago when visiting Maui, Joe Biden will travel to Florida this Saturday to meet with Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator, and oversee support efforts in the communities most affected by Hurricane Idalia.
Keep reading:
- Federal Government will allocate $95 million dollars to the reconstruction of Maui
- Biden ensures reinforcement of federal aid in response to damage from Hurricane Idalia
- Joe Biden and First Lady Visit Maui and Survivors After Devastating Wildfires