President Joe Biden on Thursday released a supplemental budget that, if passed, would replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund — but appears not to fulfill other requests made by Vermont’s congressional delegation to aid the state’s flood recovery.
The first step in a push to pass a supplemental budget by Sept. 30, Biden’s proposal could see several iterations, shaped by congressional debate, before it makes it across the finish line.
More than half of the $40 billion supplemental budget proposal is dedicated to military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as that country’s war with Russia wages on. But the president also dedicated federal dollars to domestic issues, including an onslaught of natural disasters — flooding, extreme heat, wildfires and more — that have ravaged states across the country.
Chiefly, Biden proposed to replenish FEMA’s dwindling Disaster Relief Fund with a $12 billion influx of cash. The fund offers aid for both public infrastructure and private losses in times of natural disaster, such as the flooding that wreaked havoc on Vermont this summer. In July, Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state, which opened the door to those FEMA dollars.
Seemingly missing from Biden’s proposal thus far, though, are several urgent requests from Vermont’s congressional delegation and state leaders for additional aid to the state’s farms, businesses, water infrastructure and more.
Ineligible for FEMA aid, many farms and businesses are relying solely on loans, which carry interest, serviced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration in times of disaster.
In anticipation of Biden’s supplemental budget announcement, Vermont’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the president, making their final plea for “ample funding from Congress for a disaster supplemental appropriations bill that meets the needs of our state.”
Later on Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., cosigned a similar letter with U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., pleading for federal flood aid for the entire New England region.
Sanders and Welch, joined by U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., in their Wednesday letter urged the president to shore up FEMA’s coffers, which could result in more aid directed to Vermont. But the delegation also requested an influx of cash to a slew of other federal agencies — including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers — to come to Vermont’s aid as the state begins to rebuild.
Those requests appear to be unfulfilled by Biden’s proposal, though Sanders’ and Welch’s offices said such funds could be added later on in congressional negotiations, or through separate bills.
Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott has repeatedly called on Biden and Congress to come to the state’s aid. On Friday, Scott’s spokesperson, Jason Maulucci, said the governor’s office was still reviewing the president’s full proposal but was “encouraged that the President’s proposal fully replenishes the FEMA disaster relief fund.”
“We agree with the Delegation and support their efforts to push for additional support for small businesses and our farmers,” Maulucci continued in a written statement. “We’ll continue to work with Senator Welch, Senator Sanders and Congresswoman Balint as this works through the process and do whatever we can to support them.”
In a written statement on Friday afternoon, Balint pledged to work “in lockstep with Senators Sanders and Welch to ensure FEMA and other agencies have the resources they need to respond to disasters.”
“The federal delegation is focused on getting the federal dollars Vermont needs to build back stronger,” Balint continued. “As evidenced by the destruction of July’s flood, climate change is here, and bold investments need to be made to get our communities prepared for the future disasters.”
