House Passes Harvey Relief Bill, Trump Agrees to Add Shorter Debt Ceiling HikeNBC News, Sep 6, 2017, Leigh Ann Caldwell
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed a $7.85 billion disaster aid package for Hurricane Harvey victims with overwhelming bipartisan support Wednesday, the first round of money expected for areas of Texas and Louisiana devastated by the storm.
And as the bill moved to the Senate, it quickly became a negotiating tool for controversial must-pass legislation.
At a meeting with President Donald Trump today, Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders agreed to attach a three-month debt limit increase and a three-month extension of government funding to the Harvey aid package. The move averts a potential government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year on September 30 but puts conservatives in a difficult position: Vote against disaster relief or turn their back on principled opposition to increased government spending.
"In the meeting, the President and Congressional leadership agreed to pass aid for Harvey, an extension of the debt limit, and a continuing resolution both to December 15, all together. Both sides have every intention of avoiding default in December and look forward to working together on the many issues before us," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi wrote in a joint statement.
Just earlier Wednesday morning, House Speaker Paul Ryan called the Democrats’ demand for a three-month extension of the debt ceiling “unworkable,” charging the Democrats with political gamesmanship.
“I think that’s ridiculous and disgraceful that they want to play politics with the debt ceiling a this moment when we have fellow citizens in need to respond to these hurricanes,” Ryan said at a news conference Wednesday morning. “It’s unworkable and it could put in jeopardy the kind of hurricane response we need to have.”
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The inclusion of the debt ceiling hike into the House bill puts conservatives, especially those from Texas, in a difficult spot. None more so than Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a vocal opponent of lifting the ceiling who also supports disaster relief for his own home state.
Cruz wouldn’t say if he’d support Harvey funding combined with the debt ceiling.
“I think we need to move quickly and provide the relief that is needed, and the best way for that relief package to move quickly is for it to be a clean package not to be loaded down with extraneous issues, so that’s what I hope we would do,” Cruz said on Wednesday.
Senate leaders say that they don’t have a lot of time and that it must be passed quickly.
More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-overwhelmingly-passes-harvey-relief-bill-n799191
