Trump Administration Sits on Billions in Storm Protection Money

In February, following a string of severe natural disasters in 2017, Congress provided a record $16 billion intended to help vulnerable cities and states prepare for extreme weather and for disaster mitigation -- building better defenses against hurricanes, floods and other catastrophes.

Eleven months later, the Trump administration has yet to issue rules telling states how to apply for the money. On Wednesday Texas sent a letter to President Donald Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, asking him to break the logjam.

The $16 billion in funds was meant to address a longstanding complaint about U.S. disaster policy: instead of spending money to protect communities before a storm, the government typically releases funding only after damage has happened. Yet a federally-funded study in 2018 found that every $1 spent on mitigation saves $6 on future disaster costs.

A spokeswoman for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which administers the disaster funds.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-03/trump-administration-sits-on-billions-in-storm-protection-money?srnd=politics-vp