Rice leads House members seeking floor vote on supplemental disaster funding measure

U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) last week led 10 of his colleagues in urging leaders in Congress to quickly approve supplemental appropriations and end inaction on nationwide disaster funding that’s adversely affecting local economies.

“Americans impacted by last year’s natural disasters are being used as pawns,” Rep. Rice said in a March 1 statement. “House leadership has held disaster funding hostage in the last two spending bills. It is unacceptable to put the millions of Americans still struggling after last year’s natural disasters on the backburner.” 

Congress must help Americans who are suffering from the consequences of natural disasters that occurred in 2018, including hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, Rep. Rice wrote in a Feb. 28 letter sent to leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and which also included the signatures of U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Martha Roby (R-AL).

“Vital industries, such as agriculture, have been repeatedly devastated by natural disasters in recent years and are at risk of financial collapse,” the lawmakers wrote. “These communities have already suffered enough due to Congress’s inability to address their needs in a timely manner.”

For instance, Rep. Rice pointed to farmers in his home state of South Carolina, “who are worried about going out of business and families who need certainty and support.”

“My constituents have suffered enough and shouldn’t have to wait any longer,” the congressman said on Friday. “I will continue to lead the fight to ensure South Carolinians have the resources needed for a strong recovery.”

In their letter, the members said they’re concerned that state and local governments haven’t yet received sufficient funds from the U.S. government to repair existing damages from last year’s natural disasters, and they asked congressional leaders to “immediately bring a supplemental appropriations measure to the floor to provide appropriate funding” for these communities.

“This measure should be considered, and a vote scheduled, at the earliest possible opportunity,” wrote the members of Congress.