"Appropriations: Trump Pushes Cuts To Cover $44B Disaster Request"

"The White House today asked Congress for $44 billion in emergency hurricane relief for Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida as well as targeted tax relief for communities and homeowners hit by California wildfires.

To pay for it all, the administration proposed cutting some programs at agencies like U.S. EPA and the departments of Agriculture, Labor and Energy.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney outlined how the money would be spent, including $25.2 billion for traditional relief by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration.

Another $12 billion would go to communities in the form of Community Development Block Grants for flood mitigation projects, $4.6 billion for replacing damaged federal property, $1.2 billion for an education recovery fund and $1 billion for emergency agriculture assistance."

George Cahlink reports for Greenwire November 17, 2017.