A $ 19.1 billion disaster relief bill blocked after the vote in the House of Republicans

Republican House Speaker Chip Roy blocked a unanimous attempt to pbad a $ 19.1 billion disaster relief bill.

The Senate approved the measure on Thursday, 85-8, and Democrats in the House had hoped to have the bill pbaded in a hurry at a special session on Friday, ruling out the ordinary voting procedure because legislators had already left the city to begin a suspension of Memorial Day week. The procedural vote required the consent of each member of the House and Roy did not approve.

Texas Republican has opposed the bill because it "spends $ 19 billion of taxpayers without members of Congress being present in the Capitol of our country to vote." He also said the package should include funding for the Department of Homeland Security to resolve immigration issues at the southwestern border.

Democrats expect to have enough votes to pbad the bill when Congress returns on June 3, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of D-Calif., Called the intervention of "last-minute sabotage" of the bipartite bill.

"Many American families affected by devastating natural disasters across the country will now be denied the help they urgently need," Pelosi said in a statement. "Every Republican House must explain to the American people why it urgently stands in the way of emergency relief for families who have trouble getting treatment and recovery."

The Senate reached an agreement on the bill on Thursday after months of negotiations, including strong objections from President Trump on funding the Puerto Rico bill.

The bill includes specific provisions to speed up community spending after tornadoes, hurricanes, drought, volcanoes and other natural disasters. It provides $ 3 billion for farms, flood-affected areas in the south and center-west; nearly $ 800 million to the Army Corps of Engineers for reconstruction and investigations; and more than $ 500 million for the Coast Guard.

The bill also provides $ 600 million in nutritional badistance to Puerto Rico and about $ 300 million in global community development grants for the United States. The president had already resisted sending additional funds, a position that derailed the discussions on disaster financing in April.

Roy said the bill should also include money for federal agencies managing an influx of migrants arriving at the US border with Mexico – a top priority for Trump.

The Senate decided not to include these funds because they were too controversial and blocked the broader agreement on disaster financing in case of disaster, tornadoes, droughts, volcanoes, and other disasters. other natural events.

Trump said Thursday that he intended to support the bill anyway.

The Democrats plan to try again to use a procedural vote to pbad the bill next Tuesday, but if Roy opposes it again, they plan to proceed to a vote in the Plenary Chamber of the bill to his return in early June after the Memorial Day break.

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