Biden asks Congress for $100B in disaster relief funds to assist Americans affected by hurricanes

ISTANBUL

US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for a $100 billion aid package to help Americans impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton, among other natural disasters.

The package includes $40 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund, $24 billion for the Department of Agriculture to assist farmers who experienced crop or livestock losses, $12 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's block grant disaster recovery funding for communities, $8 billion for the Department of Transportation for road and bridge repair, and $4 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency for water system upgrades, and $2 billion for the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program for businesses, homeowners, renters, and other nonprofit organizations.

“This request of supplemental funds is focused on the accounts that are most critical to aiding disaster survivors and impacted communities,” CNN quotes from Biden's letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“I urge the Congress to take immediate action,” the letter read.

Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on Sept. 26, killed at least 118 people in North Carolina, contributing to a total of 243 deaths across multiple states, while Hurricane Milton made landfall on Oct. 9 in Sarasota County, Florida, before tearing across the state with high winds, heavy rain, and mass flooding, causing significant destruction.