$400B Budget Plan Approved, But How Much Is For Disaster Relief?

The Army Corps of Engineers gets more than $17 billion, mostly for projects aimed at reducing the risk of damage from future storms.

President Donald Trump signed a two-year, $400 billion budget deal that will end a brief federal government shutdown.

The House and Senate approved a bill to keep the government funded through March 23. Included in the 652-page document is a provision to allocate about $90 billion in disaster aid for victims of recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, in addition to areas destroyed by wildfires, specifically in California.

That would bring the total appropriated for disaster aid in the wake of the 2017 hurricane season to nearly $140 billion.

The aid package would earmark $23.5 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s primary fund for recovery and repair programs, provide $28 billion for block grants to rebuild housing and essential infrastructure such as highways, and dedicate $2 billion to improve the power grid in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Relief money in the amount of $2.7 billion will also go to schools and colleges impacted by recent hurricanes.

The Army Corps of Engineers gets more than $17 billion, mostly for projects aimed at reducing the risk of damage from future storms. The United States Department of Agriculture will receive $3.6 billion to compensate farmers for lost crops. New funding would also help rebuild homes, restock food banks and help small businesses and military installations recover from damages.

This article was originally published by Strategic Partnerships, Inc.