"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-26T11:58:46Z"
data-video-section="weather"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2017/08/26/stormchaser-captures-hurricane-harvey-destruction-footage-new-day-weekend.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="stormchaser captures hurricane harvey destruction footage new day weekend"
data-first-publish-slug="stormchaser captures hurricane harvey destruction footage new day weekend"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,electric power industry,electric transmission,electricity production and distribution,energy and resources,energy and utilities,explosions,hurricane harvey,hurricanes,natural disasters,north america,severe weather,southwestern united states,texas,tropical storms,united states,utilities industry,weather"
data-details="">
- Source:
CNN
"
data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/170827092401-brock-long-fema-sotu.jpg?q=x_0,y_0,h_1080,w_1919,c_fill/h_540,w_960" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/170827092401-brock-long-fema-sotu.jpg?q=x_0,y_0,h_1080,w_1919,c_fill/h_540,w_960" } }"
data-vr-video="false"
data-show-html=" State of the Union
"
data-byline-html="
"
data-timestamp-html="
Updated
12:58 PM EDT, Tue August 29, 2017
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-27T13:31:10Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/08/27/brock-long-fema-harvey-texas-flooding-sotu.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="brock long fema harvey texas flooding sotu"
data-first-publish-slug="brock long fema harvey texas flooding sotu"
data-video-tags="donald trump,federal emergency management agency,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,political figures - us,us department of homeland security,us federal departments and agencies,us federal government,white house,accidents, disasters and safety,hurricane harvey,hurricanes,natural disasters,north america,severe weather,southwestern united states,texas,tropical storms,united states,weather"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-31T23:16:35Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/08/31/satellite-images-before-after-harvey-tsr.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="satellite images before after harvey tsr"
data-first-publish-slug="satellite images before after harvey tsr"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,floods and flooding,hurricane harvey,hurricanes,natural disasters,north america,severe weather,southwestern united states,texas,tropical storms,united states,weather"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-30T17:11:06Z"
data-video-section="world"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/08/30/inside-george-r-brown-convention-center-vstan-orig-tss-mss.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="inside george r brown convention center vstan orig tss mss"
data-first-publish-slug="inside george r brown convention center vstan orig tss mss"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,houston,hurricane harvey,hurricanes,natural disasters,north america,severe weather,southwestern united states,texas,tropical storms,united states,weather"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-27T15:57:30Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/08/27/tv-station-evacuates-flood-harvey-houston-texas-rs.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="tv station evacuates flood harvey houston texas rs"
data-first-publish-slug="tv station evacuates flood harvey houston texas rs"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,broadcasting industry,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,cable and television industry,floods and flooding,houston,hurricane harvey,media industry,natural disasters,north america,severe weather,southwestern united states,texas,tropical storms,united states,weather"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-31T12:32:57Z"
data-video-section="us"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/08/31/family-member-who-lost-six-by-flood-bts-newday.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="family member who lost six by flood bts newday"
data-first-publish-slug="family member who lost six by flood bts newday"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,floods and flooding,hurricane harvey,hurricanes,natural disasters,severe weather,tropical storms,weather"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2017-08-31T19:58:20Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/08/31/white-house-press-briefing-trump-donation-harvey-sot.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="white house press briefing trump donation harvey sot"
data-first-publish-slug="white house press briefing trump donation harvey sot"
data-video-tags="accidents, disasters and safety,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,disaster relief,donald trump,floods and flooding,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,journalism and news media,media industry,natural disasters,political figures - us,sarah huckabee sanders,us federal government,white house"
data-details="">
There is currently about $3 billion left out of the roughly $7 billion Congress approved for FEMA
President Donald Trump plans to tour parts of Texas Tuesday
WashingtonCNN
—
President Donald Trump said Monday he believes Congress will act quickly to provide disaster relief funding to the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey.
“You’re going to see very rapid action from Congress – certainly from the President,” Trump said.
Addressing Texans, he added: “We’re going to get your funding.”
Trump said he has “spoken to Congress” and said he believes funding for relief efforts will be approved “very, very quickly.”
“We think Congress will feel very much the way I feel and in very much a bipartisan way,” Trump said.
Trump also signaled the disaster funding would be addressed separately from a broader budget deal.
Pressed on whether this changed his view on the possibility of a government shutdown, which he hinted at last week, Trump said he thinks “it has nothing to do with it.”
“I think this is separate,” Trump said.
Congress returns next week with a new item added to an already large to-do list – providing federal resources to those in Texas dealing with devastating flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
There is currently about $3.3 billion left out of the roughly $7 billion Congress approved for the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) disaster relief fund for 2017 expenses. Aides from both parties agree the unprecedented storm will require a major relief effort, but say it could take weeks, even months to get a handle on the scope of the disaster and what kind of emergency spending may be needed.
“It is simply too early at this point to determine whether FEMA may need supplemental funding. The FEMA Disaster Relief Fund is funded, as planned, to meet disaster needs this fiscal year. The committee will proceed accordingly should the need arise for supplemental funding after damage and recovery assessments can be made,” Chris Gallegos, the Republican spokesperson for the Senate Appropriations Committee, told CNN.
But one senior Democratic aide tells CNN that the costs of helping state and local communities is “likely to surpass” what’s currently in the disaster account.
To help stretch its resources, FEMA announced Monday it would invoke what it calls “immediate needs” authority that allows the agency to suspend spending on recovery projects from previous disasters and use the existing disaster relief funds to cover costs associated with Hurricane Harvey.
Trump plans to tour parts of Texas Tuesday. But with the rain still falling, his administration not yet sent to Capitol Hill a specific request for what is needed for FEMA or other agencies. It’s unclear when that might happen.
But as Republican leaders look at legislative heavy lifts this fall – like funding the government or raising the debt ceiling – it’s possible that those more controversial and internally divisive items could be paired with a disaster relief package, which traditionally receives bipartisan support. Combining the must-pass storm recovery package with a spending bill or legislation to avoid a default could upset members who may not want to vote against helping those in need.
Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions said Monday on CNN that there will be a need for Congress to act on resources but also to help get senior government executives in place to coordinate the response.
Downtown Houston is seen behind the flooded Buffalo Bayou a few days after Hurricane Harvey came ashore in August 2017. The Category 4 storm caused historic flooding. It set a record for the most rainfall from a tropical cyclone in the continental United States, with 51 inches of rain recorded in areas of Texas. An estimated 27 trillion gallons of water fell over Texas and Louisiana during a six-day period.
Paul Jordan Anderson/DoubleHorn Photography
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer photographed Hurricane Harvey from the International Space Station.
Jack Fischer/NASA
Steve Culver comforts his dog Otis in the hurricane aftermath. Harvey destroyed most of his home in Rockport while he and his wife were there.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Houston police officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son, Aiden, after rescuing them from floodwaters.
David J. Phillip/AP
A damaged home is seen in the Key Allegro neighborhood of Rockport.
William Luther/San Antonio Express-News via ZUMA Wire
A car is submerged by floodwaters on a freeway near downtown Houston.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Melani Zurawski cries while inspecting her home in Port Aransas, Texas.
Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
A graveyard is flooded in Pearland, Texas.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers with the National Guard patrol Rockport, looking for residents trapped in their homes.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Evacuees are loaded onto a truck in Houston.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
People push a stalled pickup through a flooded street in Houston.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Rockport residents return to their destroyed home.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Rescue boats fill Tidwell Road in Houston as they help flood victims evacuate the area.
David J. Phillip/AP
People wait to be rescued from their flooded home in Houston.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Volunteers in Dallas organize items donated for hurricane victims.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
When Harvey slammed the Texas coast and flooded much of Houston, volunteers sprang into action. Some came from as far away as the Florida Everglades, boats in tow, ready to rescue people trapped in their homes.
Timothy Fadek/Redux for CNN
Larry Koser Jr. and his son Matthew look for important papers and heirlooms inside a flooded home in Houston.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
Members of the National Guard rest at a furniture store in Richmond, Texas.
Alyssa Schukar/The New York Times/Redux Pictures
Volunteer rescue workers help a woman from her flooded home in Port Arthur, Texas.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
This aerial photo shows flooded residential neighborhoods in Houston.
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Tammy Dominguez and her husband, Christopher, sleep on cots at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where thousands of people were taking shelter in Houston.
Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle/AP
An elderly patient waits to be rescued from the Gulf Health Care Center in Port Arthur. The facility was evacuated with the help of first responders and volunteers.
Nick Oza/USA Today Network/Sipa USA
Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas
“We’re going to have to figure out how we’re going to provide for these people and what the federal component is. We need to make sure that the administration as well as the United States Senate finishes off the confirmation of every single federal official that could possibly relate to this. The President is going to need his full team now, starting as quickly as possible,” Sessions said.
AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN Monday: “We will help those affected by this terrible disaster. The first step in that process is a formal request for resources from the administration.”
Democrats in Congress regularly back bills adding more federal money for emergencies without insisting that any offsets be made to pay for them. But in the past, many conservatives have demanded any new money be paid for with cuts in other programs. When Vice President Mike Pence served in Congress, he advocated for cutting federal spending to help pay for the costs of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Over the weekend, New York Republican Rep. Peter King, who tangled with some in his party over aid for Superstorm Sandy in 2013, tweaked those like Texas GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz who opposed that bill.
“Ted Cruz & Texas cohorts voted vs NY/NJ aid after Sandy but I’ll vote 4 Harvey aid. NY wont abandon Texas. 1 bad turn doesnt deserve another,” he tweeted.
Cruz, in an interview on CNN on Monday, insisted he backed relief for Sandy, but opposed other items he described “pork” in that package.
“Of course, the federal government has a critical role in disaster relief. It has before and should continue to, but you should not have members of congress that are exploiting disasters to fund their pet projects, and so there will be time for all of those debates in Washington,” Cruz said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urged the GOP to support emergency funding.
“Republicans must be ready to join Democrats in passing a timely relief bill that makes all necessary resources available through emergency spending,” she said in a statement Monday.
The unprecedented levels of rain and flooding in Texas is also certainly to result in a surge in claims expected for the national flood insurance program. The current authorization for the program expires at the end of September. The major damage caused by Harvey means that the borrowing limit for the program will likely need to be increased.
The program is deeply in debt and broader reform efforts have been discussed, but have split Republicans along regional lines. If they can’t agree on a broader bill Congress is likely to pass some type of short-term extension.
“The most common and costly natural disaster facing our nation is flooding,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, the top Democrat on the Senate banking committee, which handles reauthorization.
“It is too early to determine how hurricane Harvey will impact the timeline of NFIP reauthorization, but it is likely that Congress will pass a short-term extension to ensure the program doesn’t lapse,” he said.
A number of senators have drafted or introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the program. Senate banking committee chairman, Sen. Mike Crapo and Brown introduced a bill this summer that would extend the program for six years. Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey – both of whom also sit on the banking committee – introduced a reauthorization bill of their own that also provides a six-year extension and a series of reforms.
Meanwhile, the other Republican senator from Louisiana, Bill Cassidy, paired up with unlikely bedfellow Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to propose a 10-year reauthorization and gradual access by private insurers.
Beyond the FEMA disaster relief, congressional aides say more resources could be needed for the Community Development Block Grant program run by the Housing and Urban Development Department to help with emergency needs. Highway and transit infrastructure money may be needed to deal with the many roads and bridges that have been affected.
Pence committed in a radio interview with Houston station KHOU on Monday that federal help would get to those who need it.
“We’re very confident that the Congress of the United States is going to be there to provide the resources necessary – not only that that we already have with regard to rescue efforts, but to make sure that the disaster assistance that already some 22,000 Texans have signed up for is available and is there,” he said.
“We actually anticipate that as many as a half a million people in Texas will be eligible for and applying for financial disaster assistance, and we remain very confident that with the reserves and with the support in the Congress, we’ll have the resources that we need,” he said.