The funding package is expected to only be a partial down payment and serve in part to backstop depleted reserves that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had on hand to respond to disasters. House Republican aides said White House and congressional staff have started discussing what measures might be necessary to aid storm victims but that there is no firm plan yet for how or when Congress might act. The White House and congressional leaders have not yet determined how large the initial rescue package should be, but Texas Gov. Agreeing to an emergency funding bill for Texas could create a separate emergency in Washington. If Congress appropriates billions of dollars in emergency funds for the initial response to Hurricane Harvey, it could deplete Treasury’s already diminished cash reserve balance.

Source: Washington Post August 30, 2017 21:25 UTC