The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday passed a $19.1 billion disaster-aid package with a bipartisan majority, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk after multiple months of back and forth between Democrats and Republicans on a measure that is typically passed without controversy.
The delay was in part caused by Mr. Trump, who wanted to limit the amount of funding Puerto Rico was set to receive from the allotment. The amount for PR when the measure was first introduced was $600 million. In the latest measure the commonwealth of over 3 million people will receive $900 million.
Governor Albert Bryan told The Consortium during an interview two weeks ago that the territory would receive $27 million from the disaster funding bill, which Mr. Trump is expected to sign into law.
The bill provides funds for relief efforts in areas across the U.S. hit by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters in 2018 and 2019. More than $3 billion will go toward repairing and rebuilding damaged military facilities, including Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. The bill provides more than $3 billion to farmers whose crops were destroyed by storms and flooding, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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