News

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) filed four amendments to the disaster supplemental that is currently being considered on the Senate floor. The amendments would increase the amount of aid for Florida communities struggling to recover from Hurricane Michael, which devastated Florida’s panhandle in October 2018.
 
“Earlier this month, I introduced legislation to secure our southern border and fully fund a disaster response package to help states recover from recent natural disasters, including many communities in Florida devastated by Hurricane Michael,” Rubio said. “These amendments would ensure the current disaster supplemental aid package currently being considered by the Senate fully addresses the critical issues local communities, and our Department of Defense, face to ensure they stay on a path to full recovery.”
 
Rubio filed four amendments which would:
 

• Include losses of aquacultured plants and animals as eligible for 2018 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) payments. Similar language was included in the Rubio border security and disaster supplemental bill.
• Include the following types of losses as eligible for 2017 WHIP payments: (1) blueberry productivity losses in calendar year 2018 as a result of extreme cold or hurricane damage, (2) milk, (3) aquacultured plants and animals. Similar language was included in the Rubio border security and disaster supplemental bill.
• Limit the period during which certain disasters must have occurred to be eligible for 2018 WHIP payments to the period beginning on January 1, 2018 and ending on the date of the bill’s enactment.
• Increase funding for the Department of Defense to fully account for the needs of Tyndall Air Force Base. In total, the amendment would provide $1.9 billion in funding towards the Department of Defense (excluding Military Construction) for recovery and rebuild efforts related to the to the consequences of Hurricanes Michael and Florence. Of this amount, $1.7 billion for the rebuild of Tyndall Air Force Base.
  • Military Personnel $66,952,000
  • Operation and Maintenance: $1,683,807,000
  • Procurement $130,587,000
  • Research, Development, Test and Evaluation $67,728,000

 
A timeline of Rubio’s actions related to Hurricane Michael is available here.
 
Related:

• March 27, 2019: Rubio, Scott Request TSA Extension from FEMA for Floridians Affected By Hurricane Michael
• March 14, 2019: Rubio Introduces Border Security and Disaster Response Supplemental
• February 26, 2019: Rubio, Colleagues Introduce Major Disaster Relief Package
• February 13, 2019: Rubio, Colleagues Urge Congressional Leadership to Take Prompt Action on Disaster Funding