{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-rubio-colleagues-announce-bill-to-replenish-disaster-relief-fund/", "Scott, Rubio, Colleagues Announce Bill to Replenish Disaster Relief Fund", "2024-10-17", "2024", "2024-10", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) announced legislation to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) following Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton\u2019s damage to South Carolina and neighboring southeastern states. The senators\u2019 legislation would appropriate $20 billion to the dwindling FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, which is intended to assist individuals, households, states, and non-federal government entities with recovery following a natural disaster.\n\n\u201cHurricane Helene brought a level of devastation we haven\u2019t seen since Hugo. In South Carolina alone, the storm claimed 49 lives and left over a million without power. When any state experiences a natural disaster of this magnitude, Congress has a responsibility to step up and do its job,\u201d said Senator Tim Scott. \u201cCommunities back home and in surrounding states have come together to recover, but it will take every possible effort to get us back to where we were.\u201d\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, this is a hurricane season no one will soon forget. The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is the front line for states, and our constituents, to receive support in the aftermath of natural disasters. While assessments of the full extent of these storms are underway, the DRF cannot be allowed to be depleted. I am proud to announce my colleagues and I will be introducing a bill to provide additional funding to support communities affected by the recent hurricanes,\u201d said Senator Marco Rubio.\n\n\u201cAmericans help Americans. FEMA needs resources to help those impacted by Hurricanes Milton, Helene, and Francine. Related to this, I will continue working to make flood insurance affordable again,\u201d said Senator Bill Cassidy.\n\n\u201cIt is alarming that FEMA has spent almost half of its disaster fund, and there are still weeks left in hurricane season. Congress must take action to ensure critical agencies have sufficient resources to help those impacted by natural disasters recover while also maintaining long-term rebuilding projects,\u201d said Senator John Cornyn.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve been on the ground in Florida surveying damage and talking to Floridians for weeks as our state prepared for and now responds to and recovers from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. What\u2019s clear is that Florida families and businesses need their federal government to show up where they are and help them get back on their feet. This bill, providing $20 billion for FEMA\u2019s Disaster Relief Fund, will ensure that the agency has what it needs to provide immediate aid to folks in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and other states impacted by disasters while our local communities determine their needs from FEMA, SBA, USDA and other federal agencies. The federal government\u2019s response to hurricanes over the last two years has left too many Floridians, especially our farmers, hurting and with unmet needs. Unfortunately, I am already hearing from local officials and families in Florida that are frustrated by the fact that these disasters have stretched FEMA\u2019s current resources too thin. That is unacceptable. No state is immune from disasters and I hope that none of our colleagues in the Senate will object to the quick passage of this needed funding. Even with this bill, I continue to urge Majority Leader Schumer to bring back the Senate to fully fund other disaster relief functions at the SBA and USDA block grants, and I\u2019m glad that, in my conversations with President Biden, he has completely agreed with me on the need to get this done. While Floridians are incredibly resilient and will rebuild stronger than ever, it\u2019s going to be an all hands on deck effort at the local, state and federal level to come together and support these communities. I\u2019m going to keep fighting like hell to deliver the federal resources Floridians need to recover,\u201d said Senator Rick Scott.\n\nSenators Scott and Rubio were joined by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:55:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-rubio-colleagues-announce-bill-to-replenish-disaster-relief-fund/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3423648197203875, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}