House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday promised more federal aid to help Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico recover from a string of powerful hurricanes.
Ryan, speaking at a press conference at the Coast Guard Air Station Miami, said he is leading a bipartisan delegation on stops in Florida and Texas so lawmakers can “assess all of the damage” and determine how much money to provide in federal aid.
“We want the people in Florida to know we are with you, that the federal response will be complete and we have more work to do,” said Ryan, R-Wis. “This is why we are here, to assess this.”
Ryan said “more aid, more support and more help” is needed.
Congress passed a $15.4 billion disaster relief bill earlier this month, but a much larger aid package is expected soon.
Ryan did not indicate the price tag but said he wants to ensure the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not run out of disaster relief funds. “More is coming,” Ryan pledged.
Some estimates place the damage to Florida and Texas combined at more than $300 billion.
Ryan and lawmakers toured flood-damaged Jacksonville in the northern part of the state and later flew along the Route 1 corridor from Marathon Key to Key West. The Keys were heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma.
“There was really extensive damage,” Ryan said. “It was astounding.”
Lawmakers are headed to Texas on Thursday to view damage from Hurricane Harvey.
Ryan said Hurricane Maria’s destruction of Puerto Rico will also require federal money.
“To our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico, they are front and center in our thoughts and we want them to know the federal response will be there,” Ryan said. “We are thinking of them first and foremost as they confront this dangerous hurricane.”
The bipartisan trip included House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., who Ryan said will serve as “the chief architect of the legislation yet to come.”
