Biden administration calls for billions in disaster and refugee funds to keep government running | News from the United States and the world

The Biden administration is calling for billions of dollars for extreme weather recovery efforts and the resettlement of Afghan refugees in its proposal to maintain government funding after September 30.

In a Tuesday afternoon call with reporters, administration officials detailed the billions of dollars the White House is asking Congress for in addition to general funds needed to run the government. The officials, who declined to be named, called on Congress to allocate more than $ 14 billion to help with the recovery and “unmet needs” from recent natural disasters, including wildfires and storms, plus at least $ 10 billion to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. .

The amount of funding for hurricanes is a recognition of the extent of devastation caused by disasters caused by climate change, including fires, hurricanes and floods.

“Climate change is producing more serious natural disasters like storms and forest fires,” one of the administration officials said on the call. “We must do more to help states recover from recent and ongoing natural disasters. They have many unmet needs.

The Biden administration is also asking Congress to separately approve $ 150 billion for clean energy and climate change resilience funding in its bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has yet to be passed by representatives room.

The news came as President Joe Biden visited flood damage in New Jersey and New York City caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. He said the damage from the storms has been made worse by climate change.

“Every region of the country is affected by extreme weather conditions, and we are now experiencing in real time what the country will look like,” Biden said as he visited the devastating flooding in New Jersey on Tuesday. “We can’t really go back, but we can prevent it from getting worse.”

The purpose of the guidance sent to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, Acting Director Shalanda Young wrote in a blog post, “is to advise lawmakers on how to avoid serious disruption to services. that could inadvertently arise by extending the credit laws of the previous year without changes. “

“We urge Congress to allocate more than $ 14 billion under an RC to deal with natural disasters before Hurricane Ida. We expect Hurricane Ida will significantly increase the need for additional funding. for disaster response, at least $ 10 billion for programs such as the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Federal Highway Emergency Relief, Federal Transit Emergency Relief, Small Business Administration Disaster Loans and FEMA Disaster Relief Fund ” Young wrote.

Administration officials are also asking for $ 6.5 billion in funding for Afghan refugees.

One of the officials said the government expects 65,000 Afghan refugees to arrive in the United States by the end of September and another 30,000 over the next 12 months. The funding request underscores the sheer demand for resettlement resources in the United States – infrastructure that was decimated under the Trump administration.

“We know there is bipartisan support to help the Afghan partners who have supported us for so long,” the official said.

They added that the funding was “certainly essential … to ensure that we deliver on this bipartisan commitment from our Afghan allies and partners.”

This request also includes millions of “targeted funding” for Afghans at risk still in the country.

Young also “strongly” urged Congress to include this funding in the bill.

“The operation to emerge from danger and bring to safety tens of thousands of Afghans at risk, many of whom have assisted us during our two decades in Afghanistan, represents an extraordinary military, diplomatic, security and humanitarian operation. from the US government, ”Young said. wrote.

She continued, “We urge Congress to allocate $ 6.4 billion to enable the success of this historic, multi-faceted mission.”

The majority of those funds, she said, will go to overseas processing sites run by the defense and state departments, as well as humanitarian aid through the state and the ‘USAID. It also includes funds for public health screenings, vaccinations, and other resettlement resources through the state and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The-CNN-Wire

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