FIRST ON FOX: The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus is calling on Republican leaders to reject President Biden’s $98.4 billion in disaster relief request.
In an official position put forward by the Republican group on Wednesday evening, lawmakers demanded a slimmed-down package that covers what is “absolutely necessary” to be offset by cuts elsewhere.
“Congress should not pass an unpaid $100 billion supplemental funding bill — which Democrats will use to bolster their own, unrelated priorities — in the waning days of Democrats’ control of Washington, just before Republicans gain control of the White House and take over both Houses,” Congress said. Statement from the House Freedom Caucus read.
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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a House Freedom Caucus press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday, May 30, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The House should consider only what is absolutely necessary at this time to deliver critical relief to hurricane victims and farmers, pay for it with offsets for wasteful spending elsewhere in the administration, and then wait for President Trump to take office to to better manage disaster relief. “
It comes as lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and Senate are negotiating the size of the disaster relief package, and whether it should be tied to a year-end federal funding bill, which is critical to a to prevent partial government shutdowns during the holidays.
More than a hundred people were killed in North Carolina alone when Helene crashed into the southeastern US in late September.
Hurricane Milton, another deadly storm, hit Florida and Georgia about a week later.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told “Your World” host Neil Cavuto that a $100 billion disaster relief package may be needed.
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US President Joe Biden attends a meeting at a Carrinho facility, near Lobito, Angola, December 4, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
“I believe we need a supplement of about $100 billion for this disaster. There is almost an estimate of $50 billion in the budget. North Carolina onlyTillis said. “It will take years to recover and we cannot play games with people’s lives.”
But some budget conservatives have dismissed the prospect of fulfilling the massive federal request without cutting costs elsewhere.
They have argued that granting the Democratic administration’s request for such a hefty package would be a reckless move that would further increase the national debt.
“I’m not going to vote for $100 billion unpaid. Not a chance,” Freedom Caucus policy Chairman Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital last month.
Rep. Chuck Edwards, R.N.C., who is not a member of the Freedom Caucus and whose district was hit hard by Helenetold Fox News Digital that he was in contact with House leaders about a disaster relief bill, but said the details were still in the works.
Meanwhile, congressional leaders are expected to negotiate a continuing resolution (CR), a short-term extension of current government funding levels, before the December 20 partial shutdown deadline.
House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to work with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer if a disaster relief bill is to be passed this year. (Reuters)
“We’re looking at a number of different options,” Edwards said Wednesday morning. “It could be attached to the CR, it could be parallel to the CR, but it is currently under construction.”
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When asked about Biden’s requested total, he said: “It’s still being built. We’ve kind of laid the groundwork, we’re just trying to proportionately determine how much money we spend in each of the different areas.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who discussed disaster relief and government funding with the House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday evening, provided little insight into his plans during his weekly news conference.
‘It’s serious, serious damage. But the original request was $116.5 billion. And what we’re doing now is the important, methodical job that the House has of really going through line by line and reviewing those requests and making sure that they’re all actually dealing with disasters and not redundant items and problems that belong,” Johnson said.
