Trump may ask Congress for more disaster funding

The White House is prepared to ask Congress for more money to fund disaster relief efforts in response to Hurricane Irma, which has caused widespread devastation in Florida and U.S. islands. 

Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert told reporters Monday that President Trump might seek more funding, but added “right now, we have plenty of resources to get through this.” 

“The president and [Budget Director Mick] Mulvaney and others have started the process of a bipartisan discussion on this point,” Bossert said. “We’ll ask for a third, perhaps fourth supplemental for the purpose of rebuilding. We will do it smartly.”

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Bossert declined to say how much money the administration may ask for, saying it will depend on the eventual amount of damage. 

Irma has killed at least seven people in the U.S. and left almost 6 million people in Florida without power. The storm has caused floods in cities across the Sunshine State and flash flood emergencies have been issued in South Carolina. 

The U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico were also devastated by the storm. 

Irma comes on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, which caused historic floods in Houston. 

Trump last week signed legislation that provided $15 billion in disaster aid for Harvey. 

Roughly 700,000 people in Houston and south Texas have registered for federal assistance as a result of Harvey.

The National Flood Insurance Program, which is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has about $8.6 billion to address claims. Bossert said if claims exceed that amount, the White House will ask Congress to increase the cap.

This story was updated at 3:39 p.m.