Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5132 - Dire Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for Disaster Assistance

(Senate Floor)
(Sponsor: Whitten (D), Mississippi; Byrd (D), West Virginia)

As the Senate prepares to consider H.R. 5132, a bill to provide supplemental appropriations for disaster assistance, this is to provide the Administration's views. The Administration urges the Senate to approve the House-passed bill without amendment.

The Administration appreciates the efforts of the Appropriations Committees to limit the bill to only those emergency supplemental appropriations that respond to the recent Presidentially-designated disasters. The President has committed to provide approximately $600 million in disaster assistance to the areas affected, and the House's action to provide aid through the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance programs is consistent with that commitment.

It would be highly regrettable, however, if the bill were expanded to include items unrelated to the disaster programs needed to respond to these Presidentially-designated disasters. Such expansion would likely result in undesirable conflict or stalemate — and thus prevent what should be a simple, direct response to the needs for replenishment of funds used to address these disasters.