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May 10 (UPI) -- The House on Friday passed a $17.2 billion disaster relief bill to help rebuild in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, over objections from President Donald Trump. The bill passed by a vote of 257 to 150, with overwhelming support from House Democrats. Just 34 of 197 House Republicans voting for the measure.
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The measure would extend the National Flood Insurance Program through Sept. 30, and deliver aid to Puerto Rico and states damaged by flooding and other disasters. It also includes limited funding for parts of California for historic wildfires that ravaged the state last year, as well as Florida, Georgia and Alabama for hurricane and flood damage.
Trump has argued that federal aid sent to the island commonwealth after Hurricane Maria in 2017 has been mismanaged. Thursday, he urged House lawmakers to reject the aid.
The Senate version of the bill faces uncertainty, where Republican legislators have expressed frustration by urging Trump to agree to a compromise. The Senate proposal would add billions in funding but would include aid to states damaged by wildfires, hurricanes and severe flooding.
In Florida on Wednesday, Trump promised disaster aid for Hurricane Michael last October, but continued to reject new funding for Puerto Rico.
The Senate bill has also been held up by a push from Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who seeks additional federal funding for harbor maintenance in his home state.
