Trump seeks $7.85 billion for Harvey relief, warns on debt ceiling

In a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said the request included $7.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund and $450 million for the Small Business Administration's disaster loan programme. "This request is a down-payment on the president's commitment to help affected states recover from the storm, and future requests will address longer-term rebuilding needs," Mulvaney said.

New blast at Texas chemical plant flooded by Hurricane Harvey

Thick black smoke and towering orange flames shot up once again from a flooded Houston-area chemical plant where highly unstable compounds blew up after losing refrigeration. Containers of organic peroxides exploded and caught fire on Friday evening and Thursday morning, sending plumes of acrid smoke into the air.

New Houston water release could keep 20K homes flooded

Miguel Moncado, of Oxford Contractors, guts a flood-damaged home in the Meyerland neighborhood in Houston after Hurricane Harvey on Friday Sept, 1, 2017. HOUSTON >> Nearly a week after Harvey crashed into the Texas coastline, the storm chased more people out of their homes Friday after dumping heavy rain on Louisiana, and Houston planned a water release that could keep as many as 20,000 homes flooded for up to 15 days.

White House asks Congress for $7.85 billion in Hurricane Harvey disaster relief

A week after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast, the Trump Administration is asking Congress for almost $8 billion in disaster relief funds, in what could be the first installment of a recovery effort that may well be the most expensive ever for the federal government in dealing with a domestic natural disaster. "These additional Federal resources would enable the affected States to address disaster response and immediate recovery needs in the areas most affected by Hurricane Harvey, said White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Trump Asks for $8 Billion in Initial Harvey Aid, Debt Cap Hike 31 minutes ago

The Trump administration sent Congress a request Friday for almost $8 billion in initial relief for Hurricane Harvey victims and suggested the assistance be authorized in tandem with a measure to raise the federal debt ceiling, a move that House Republicans are unlikely to embrace.   In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan requesting the storm aid, Budget Director Mick Mulvaney stops short of explicitly asking for the two to be linked.

Canada preparing to deliver aid shipments for Texas hurricane victims

The federal government and the governments of Ontario and Quebec are readying relief supplies, including baby formula and cribs, for victims of hurricane Harvey. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the governments are working with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to co-ordinate the help.

Haughty Harwood Huffs: Republicans Lack ‘Maturity’ to Govern

According to a snide John Harwood, Republicans lack the "maturity" to govern, handle taxes and raise the debt ceiling. The CNBC editor appeared on MSNBC, Friday, to complain about Trump and the GOP: "This is the kind of thing that ought to be easy but what we've seen in the last few years is that the Republican Party has not shown the maturity to govern effectively in a consistent way."

Gutfeld: Harvey Response Shows Americans ‘Aren’t What the Media Says We Are’

On Wednesday and Thursday nights, FNC's The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld offered moving commentaries about how the liberal media's attempts to indict the American people as perpetually divided have utterly failed as exhibited by the Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. Gutfeld also discussed how Harvey has shown that the basic safety of each and every person in the face of death is what matters and not petty debates like replacing Columbus Day and taking down Confederate Statues.

Washington Post Painfully Admits That FEMA Isn’t Failing – For Now

It must be a painful admission for the Washington Post Editorial Board that FEMA is doing a good job, since they, and so many Democrats, were hoping it would fail, because they hate Trump. No matter that it would harm Americans, the hatred runs strong THE GULF of Mexico coast is just coming to grips with the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the remnants of which continued to pelt inland areas Thursday.

Hurricane fuels gas-price hike as reserves tapped

Damage to energy supplies from Hurricane Harvey combined with the traditional increase in Labor Day travel is already leading to higher gas prices in Massachusetts, and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry is tapping into the nation's strategic reserves as part of the federal government's response to the massive storm. In an interview Thursday, a AAA Northeast official told the News Service she would not be surprised to see a double-digit increase in per-gallon prices when the organization's latest survey is released next Tuesday.