Oct. 24 (UPI) — The Senate likely will vote Tuesday on a $36.5 billion bill to aid communities affected by recent natural disasters, a measure that could bring relief to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, the majority of which is still without power.
The legislation passed a procedural hurdle Monday, meaning a full vote on the measure could happen Tuesday or Wednesday.
“The Senate remains committed to doing its part to support the ongoing hurricane relief efforts,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said. “Victims of these hurricanes continue to count on our support.”
If passed, the bill would be the second relief bill of its kind approved by lawmakers after a $15.25 billion hurricane relief package passed in September in the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of the Texas coast.
The new bill seeks to provide relief to victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as wildfires on the west coast.
When the bill passed through the House, it also included $16 billion to relieve debts from the National Flood Insurance Program which some criticized as a “bailout” for the program.
Senators originally considered adding additional funds to the House bill, but the possibility of passing another if necessary appears more likely, The Hill reported.
“I think so far what has been done has not been as much as we should do, so we’re having a conversation with various members who come from the regions affected by Maria, by Irma, by Harvey, by wildfires, other natural disasters,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said.
Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, were seeking to hold up the legislation citing fiscal concerns and a desire to exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act which restricts shipments between U.S. ports to vessels owned and operated by Americans, Politico reported.
“I’ve got concerns about the absence of reforms in this bill, especially its failures to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from the Jones Act and address the shortcomings of the island’s bankrupt, state-run power company,” Flake said. “Given that the national debt is more than $20 trillion, I believe Congress can do more to ensure every dollar in this bill is used as effectively as possible.”
A spokesman said Lee requested 30 minutes on the Senate floor to discuss his concerns before the bill passes.
Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello met with lawmakers in Washington on Thursday to say the island needs “equal treatment” in hurricane recovery efforts. He pressed Senators to pass the disaster relief bill as well as a nearly $5 billion funding package, a loan President Donald Trump requested for the financially burdened government.
Sen. Patrick Leahy said the disaster aid bill is the “next step to the road to recovery” for disaster-affected areas and called for bipartisan support.
“Millions of Americans all over the country, the Americans in Puerto Rico, the Americans in the Virgin Islands, they need us to work together to help lift them up,” he said. “This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is an American issue. This is who we are as a country — we hold together.”
