WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) today applauded President Trump for signing into law the bipartisan disaster
aid bill. Blunt voted in favor of the bill, which passed the Senate
last month.
“Flooding and extreme weather have been devastating in many areas of our state
and we’re not in the clear yet,” said Blunt. “This bill provides much-needed
resources to recover from damages that have already been assessed and could
provide additional support for future recovery needs. One of my priorities was
making sure stored commodities that were lost or couldn’t be planted were
covered in this bill, and I’m glad we could get that done. There is a long road
ahead for all of the families, farms, and communities that have been impacted
by these disasters and I’ll continue working with Governor Parson, and state
and local officials, to secure any federal support that may be needed.”
The bill includes:
- $4.5 billion for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to repair damage to farmlands,
rebuild infrastructure and rural community facilities, and provide
assistance for crop losses in flood impacted states, including Missouri.
The bill also includes a provision Blunt worked on with Sens. Grassley
(Iowa), Ernst (Iowa), and Fischer (Neb.) to extend aid eligibility to
stored commodities that were lost and crops that were unable to be
planted. Hawley supported that effort;
- $3 billion in funding
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair waterways infrastructure,
including $1 billion to aid repairs of local levees that were breached or
damaged in Missouri and elsewhere;
- $1.6 billion for the
Department of Transportation’s highway emergency relief program to repair
roads and bridges; and
- $2.4 billion for
grants to cities, counties, and states for long term-recovery,
infrastructure restoration, and economic revitalization through the
Community Development Block Grant program.
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