Monday deadline looming, but Congress skips town before funding FEMA disaster relief
Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today called on Congress to stay in town to provide desperately-needed funding to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, which includes support for Iowa flood recovery, and finish its work on a spending bill to temporarily fund government operations. According to news reports, FEMA could run out of funding as early as Monday if no spending bill is passed.
"It disgusts me that Iowa flood recovery has gotten caught in Congress' latest juvenile partisan game. Helping people get back on their feet after a disaster is the most basic function of government - it shouldn't be an issue bogged down in Washington politics.
"Rather than going home for the weekend, Congress should stay in town, do its job, and make good on a three year promise to fund Iowa disaster recovery. Thousands of Iowans haven't gotten a day off since this year's flooding ripped their lives apart. Why should Congress?"
Congress hasn't yet passed a funding bill for the fiscal year that begins on October 1st. For the past week, House and Senate leaders have argued over bills that would temporarily fund US government operations until November 18th and add money to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund to continue paying the cost of disaster recovery from this year's Iowa floods and other natural disasters. No bills have passed into law.
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