Sen. Kennedy Leads Delegation Letter Asking President Trump for Additional Hurricane Relief Funds

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release on Dec. 9:

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), together with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Reps. Clay Higgins (R-La.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Garret Graves (R-La.) and Ralph Abraham (R-La.), today asked President Donald Trump to request supplemental disaster funds to help Louisiana recover from extensive hurricane damage caused by this season's storms.

"We ask that you request emergency appropriations for the many Federal agencies with experience in long-term disaster recovery who are standing by and well-equipped to provide relief to families in Louisiana and take action to protect life and property ahead of the next disaster. These include the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and emergency appropriations for federal highways. Finally, we ask that you take into consideration the cumulative impact of this hurricane season on Louisiana and use your authority under Sec. 1232 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to approve an increase in the Federal cost-share for Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta. Louisiana has borne the brunt of this exceptionally destructive season, and we believe these actions will allow Louisiana to recover in the most efficient manner possible," wrote the lawmakers.

This year, five categorized storms struck Louisiana, affecting all 64 parishes. The most powerful of these storms, Hurricane Laura, hit southwest Louisiana as a Category 4 storm and is one of the strongest storms to make landfall in American history. Hurricane Laura alone caused an estimated $14 billion in damages to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Hurricane Delta added to the damage when it made landfall in the same area just 42 days later.

The letter is available here: https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d/7/d7042f9b-3e31-4621-b346-39a058eef5be/9F208F075E62341B86E5D84274C2600A.-untitled-.pdf