Amidst the strange but welcome bipartisanship of the last 36 hours, led by President Trump, the Senate has approved a measure that doubles the initial aid package for Hurricane Harvey to $15.25 billion. Harvey will require much more Federal aid, and Irma even more. FYI: The Corps will need a supplemental appropriation to respond with repairs post-storm. The measure passed by the Senate contains no money for the Corps.
The same bill provides a Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded from October 1st until December 8th.
And it raises the Federal borrowing (aka debt) limit while the President with the aid of Democrats tries to find a way to eliminate the need for Congress to vote on the debt limit in the future. You may not have noticed, but the Treasury Department has been using “extraordinary measures” to keep from defaulting for several months because raising the debt limit without corresponding spending cuts is a hot button issue for conservative Republicans in Congress.
It is likely, but not a slam dunk, that the House will approve the Senate bill.
Our thoughts are with the thousands of Hurricane Harvey victims and with those who will wind up in the path of Hurricane Irma.
