Tommy Tainant
Diamond Member
Trump raises pressure on Dems to back disaster aid bill threatened by Puerto Rico fight
But the fate of the legislation has been thrown into limbo amid a renewed fight over funding to help Puerto Rico after Trump criticized the island territory during a closed-door lunch with Senate Republicans last week.
The GOP bill, spearheaded by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), includes $600 million for food stamps aid in Puerto Rico, which was devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017.
But Democrats are warning they will block the bill as currently written. Though Republicans control the Senate, they need at least seven Democrats to vote for the GOP disaster aid proposal to get over Monday's procedural hurdle.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced an amendment to the GOP disaster bill to include a handful of additional provisions, including requiring the Department of Housing and Urban Development to release block-grant funding and money to help Puerto Rico repair damaged water systems.
It doesnt seem to be a lot of money.
But the fate of the legislation has been thrown into limbo amid a renewed fight over funding to help Puerto Rico after Trump criticized the island territory during a closed-door lunch with Senate Republicans last week.
The GOP bill, spearheaded by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), includes $600 million for food stamps aid in Puerto Rico, which was devastated by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017.
But Democrats are warning they will block the bill as currently written. Though Republicans control the Senate, they need at least seven Democrats to vote for the GOP disaster aid proposal to get over Monday's procedural hurdle.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced an amendment to the GOP disaster bill to include a handful of additional provisions, including requiring the Department of Housing and Urban Development to release block-grant funding and money to help Puerto Rico repair damaged water systems.
It doesnt seem to be a lot of money.