A deal struck Tuesday that will send an additional $1.24 billion in federal flood aid to Louisiana is still about $1 billion less than what state lawmakers were hoping to secure in the lame-duck session of Congress, The USA Today Network of Louisiana reports.
The House will likely vote on the measure Thursday followed by Senate action on Friday. Sen Bill Cassidy says an additional $114 million will be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be spent on the Red and Ouachita river navigation projects in relation to needs caused by March flooding in northern Louisiana, and an additional $34 million will be spent to repair federal highways damaged by flooding. That funding is separate from the $1.24 billion.
President Barack Obama had proposed $2.1 billion to be included in the continuing resolution, or budget bill, that keeps the government operating. Louisiana has already secured $438 million in federal aid, which was called a down payment for the state’s recovery.
“More than $1.8 billion has been set aside for Louisiana to recover from flooding,” Cassidy says in a statement. “This is an important next step and the entire delegation will continue to press for more funding to make sure that every Louisianan has what they need to get their lives back on track. Louisiana will continue to recover and rebuild.”
But a member of Cassidy’s staff acknowledges securing more funding will be “an uphill climb.”
