House passes $15.3B Harvey aid package, raising debt ceiling
The House voted overwhelmingly on Friday to send a $15.3 billion disaster aid package to President Donald Trump, overcoming conservative objections to linking the emergency legislation to a temporary increase in America맥스카지노s borrowing authority. The legislation also keeps the government funded into December.
The 316-90 vote would refill depleted emergency accounts as Florida braces for the impact of Hurricane Irma this weekend and Texas picks up the pieces after the devastation of the Harvey storm.
It맥스카지노s just the first installment of a federal aid package that could rival or exceed the $110 billion federal response after Hurricane Katrina, though future aid packages may be more difficult to pass. It also kicks budget decisions into December and forces another politically tough debt limit vote next year.
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, a former tea party congressman from South Carolina who took a hard line against debt increases during his years in the House, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin faced a rough time when they pitched the measure to House Republicans at a closed-door meeting held just before the vote.
Republicans were stunned earlier this week when Trump agreed with Democratic leaders on the short-term debt increase over GOP objections.
Mnuchin elicited hisses when he told the meeting of House Republicans 맥스카지노vote for the debt ceiling for me,맥스카지노 said Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C.
Rep. Ryan Costello, R-Pa., described a surreal scene with Mnuchin, a former Democratic donor, and Office of Management and Budget Director Mulvaney, who opposed clean debt ceiling hike맥스카지노s as a congressman, pressing Republicans to rally around the disaster aid package.
맥스카지노It맥스카지노s kind of like 맥스카지노Where am I? What맥스카지노s going on here?맥스카지노맥스카지노 Costello said, 맥스카지노if it wasn맥스카지노t so serious it kind of would have been funny.맥스카지노
Mulvaney defended the deal and Trump.
맥스카지노It was absolutely the right thing to do,맥스카지노 Mulvaney said. 맥스카지노The president is a results-driven person, and right now he wants to see results on Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and tax reform. He saw an opportunity to work with Democrats on this particular issue at this particular time.맥스카지노
Trump on Wednesday had cut a deal with Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi to increase the debt limit for three months, rather than the long-term approach preferred by the GOP leaders that would have gotten the issue fixed through next year맥스카지노s midterms.
Conservatives disliked both options. Voting on the debt limit is politically toxic for Republicans, and the deal will make the GOP vote twice ahead of next year맥스카지노s midterm elections.
Fiscal conservatives have clamored for deep cuts in spending in exchange for any increase in the government맥스카지노s borrowing authority. The storm relief measure had widespread support, but the linkage with the debt ceiling left many Republicans frustrated.
맥스카지노It맥스카지노s like the Washington that Trump campaigned against,맥스카지노 said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas. 맥스카지노So, as much as I want to help Texas, I can맥스카지노t vote for something that just is a blank check on the debt.맥스카지노
But most in the GOP said they weren맥스카지노t upset with Trump himself.
Democratic votes are invariably needed to increase the debt limit — and avert a potential market-quaking default on government obligations — and Schumer and Pelosi successfully pressed to waive the debt limit through Dec. 8.
As a practical measure, since the arcane debt-limit suspension replenishes Treasury맥스카지노s ability to tap other accounts to maintain cash flows, the actual date of a potential default wouldn맥스카지노t come before February or March. That맥스카지노s according to a back-of-the-envelope calculation by Shai Akabas, who tracks the issue for the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
Late Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., added $7.4 billion in rebuilding funding to Trump맥스카지노s $7.9 billion request to deal with the immediate emergency in Texas and parts of Louisiana.