Rick Scott introduces bill to separate disaster relief from Ukraine aid, urges Senate vote.
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) Introduces Legislation for Emergency Relief Funding
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has partnered with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to introduce a groundbreaking legislation that aims to provide emergency relief funding for natural disasters. This legislation, known as the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act, seeks to address the urgent needs of communities affected by disasters such as Hurricane Idalia in Florida and the Hawaii wildfires.
The Federal Disaster Responsibility Act proposes to allocate $16.5 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund. Additionally, it aims to ensure the passage of two crucial acts: the Block Grant Assistance Act and the Hurricane Tax Relief Act. The former grants the Department of Agriculture the authority to issue grants to all U.S. agriculture producers impacted by natural disasters in 2022, while the latter provides much-needed disaster-loss tax relief to families affected by hurricanes.
LAWMAKERS RETURN TO CAPITOL HILL WITH A HEFTY TO-DO LIST
This legislation comes as a response to a controversial White House request for $44 billion in emergency spending, which would link $16 billion in disaster relief to $24 billion in Ukraine aid. Republican senators, including Scott and Rubio, have strongly opposed this linkage, accusing President Joe Biden of holding the much-needed disaster aid “hostage” to expedite the passage of Ukraine aid through Congress.
Scott and Rubio’s legislation has garnered support from both chambers of Congress, with Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) leading a companion bill in the House. Speaking about the bill, Scott emphasized the importance of providing timely relief to families affected by disasters, stating, “When disaster strikes, families can’t be left wondering whether the federal government is going to show up or if they’ll be strung along while Washington uses them as a bargaining chip in a massive spending bill.”
While Scott has not confirmed whether he will push for a vote on the bill, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has indicated her objection to a separate vote on disaster relief without Ukraine aid.
For more information, click here to read the full article from The Washington Examiner.
Last week, the White House declined to comment on the possibility of decoupling the two forms of aid. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized the importance of fulfilling commitments to both the American people and Ukraine, stating, “We have to keep our commitments on both sides of these things.”
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
