WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress have unveiled an emergency budget proposal that maintains funding for the federal government through March 14 and provides more than $100 billion in emergency aid to support states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton to support other natural disasters.
The measure would prevent a partial government shutdown scheduled to begin after midnight Friday. Final decisions on spending levels this fiscal year would be left to a up-to-date, Republican-led Congress and President-elect Donald Trump. The continuing resolution generally continues current spending levels for agencies.
Passage of the measure is one of the last measures lawmakers will consider this week before adjourning for the holidays and making way for the next Congress. It’s the second short-term funding measure lawmakers have taken this fall as they struggled to pass the dozens of annual appropriations bills before the up-to-date fiscal year began Oct. 1, as they usually do.
The bill includes $100.4 billion in disaster relief and an additional $10 billion in economic aid for farmers struggling with low commodity prices and high production costs.
“We need to be able to help those who are in this emergency,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.
Net farm income is expected to fall 4.1% this year after falling 19.4% a year earlier from record highs in 2022. Johnson hinted that more farm aid could be provided in the next Congress, saying, “We can’t do everything now.”
“Congress is doing the best it can in difficult circumstances, and I think this will be a big boost for the industry,” Johnson said.
Rep. Glenn Thompson, the Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, said he hopes for more economic relief for farmers, but “it’s a great start.”
“I think it will send the right signal to the markets that most farmers and ranchers will be eligible for the credit they need to plant a crop or raise a herd,” Thompson said.
President Joe Biden has requested about $114 billion in disaster aid and submitted a $99 billion request in November, telling lawmakers that the funding was “urgently needed.” The administration then updated its request to also add funds for repairing federal facilities damaged by natural disasters.
Most of the money, about $29 billion, will go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s main disaster relief fund. The fund helps clear debris, repair public infrastructure and provide financial support to survivors. Around $21 billion will go to supporting farmers who have suffered crop or livestock losses.
An additional $8 billion will be used to rebuild and repair highways and bridges in more than 40 states and territories. And about $12 billion would go toward community recovery through block grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. About $2.2 billion would go toward low-interest loans for businesses, nonprofits and homeowners trying to rebuild after a disaster.
As usual, Congress is expected to decide shortly before another shutdown period. House Republicans generally give lawmakers 72 hours to review the text of the bill, which would push the vote on final passage to Friday if they follow that rule. The Senate is not known for moving quickly, but many lawmakers are eager to adjourn this year’s session to make way for the next Congress.
Because the bill is the final piece of legislation to be passed by the current Congress, lawmakers have worked to include certain priorities. In health care, the legislation aims to expand coverage of telemedicine appointments for Medicare enrollees and limit how much money pharmacy benefit managers — the companies that negotiate how and which drugs are covered by insurance plans — make those deals.
The bill also includes provisions to counter China, including expanding a Biden executive order aimed at restricting investments in countries that pose a national security threat to the United States. Blocking China’s high-tech ambitions is one of the few issues that enjoys broad support among both Republicans and Democrats in Washington.
There is also a provision to transfer the land where the senior RFK Stadium sits from the federal government to the District of Columbia, which could potentially lead to a up-to-date stadium for the Washington Commanders.
The bill also provides full federal funding for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed when it was struck by a cargo ship that reported a power outage shortly before the crash. Federal taxpayers are compensated by proceeds from insurance payments and litigation.
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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.
