House sends $15.3B Harvey aid bill to President Trump

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Friday, September 8, 2017
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WASHINGTON -- The House has voted overwhelmingly to send a $15.3 billion disaster aid package to President Donald Trump. Lawmakers overcame objections from conservatives who didn't want the emergency aid linked to a temporary increase in America's borrowing authority.

The measure keeps the government funded into December.

The vote was 316-90. The measure would refill depleted emergency accounts, as Florida braces for the impact of Hurricane Irma and Texas picks up the pieces after the devastation of Harvey.

It's only the first installment of a federal aid package that could rival or exceed the $100 billion-plus provided after Hurricane Katrina. Future installments are likely to be more difficult to pass.

The vote postpones budget decisions into December and forces another politically difficult debt limit vote next year.

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