Congressional leaders want to put unprecedented pressure on the Biden administration to quickly allocate billions of dollars in disaster relief through a federal program that has been plagued by delays.
A deadline included in a spending deal reached this week by Democrats and Republicans aims to accelerate federal aid to dozens of areas — from Hawaii to Florida — that are struggling to recover from record-smashing hurricanes, wildfires and floods.
The Jan. 15 deadline to distribute $12 billion arrives five days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office and would deny him any role in allocating the money.
But the fate of both the deal and the disaster funds was left in doubt Wednesday night after Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance assailed the spending plan, which would keep the federal government open until March 14 and provide the extra disaster aid. Trump’s move came after conservative House Republicans protested the overall spending.
