Texas Lawmakers Press Biden on FEMA Assistance After Hurricane Beryl

More than a dozen members of the Texas congressional delegation are pressing President Biden in a letter Friday to approve additional federal assistance for Texans affected by Hurricane Beryl.

“Many residents in and around the Houston area were without power for several days, with heat indices exceeding 100 degrees daily,” the statement said. letter from 19 legislators read. “They urgently need the resources that FEMA can provide.”

The bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), is calling on the White House to approve funding under FEMA’s Individual Assistance program. The program provides financial assistance to families with uninsured or insufficiently insured expenses following a disaster.

The administration has already approved two forms of federal assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Assistance program, which funds disaster prevention, and Public Assistance for state and local governments.

“More immediately, however, the vast majority of our constituents are in need of Individual Assistance (IA),” the lawmakers wrote, “as they are far more vulnerable on an individual basis in their respective homes, while their communities focus on recovery and rehabilitation of its municipalities in general.”

Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, on Monday, causing significant flooding and wind damage in several parts of the state. Federal aid to the state was only approved on Tuesday, which Biden said was due to Texas officials not making a formal request for a major disaster declaration.

“I’ve been trying to track down the governor to see — I don’t have the authority to do that without a specific request from the governor,” Biden said Tuesday in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) has stepped in as acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is overseas on a economic development trip. The aid was approved as soon as Biden and Patrick connected on Tuesday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from lawmakers on the letter.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story