Donald Trump signed on Friday the law passed a few hours earlier by Congress releasing emergency aid of $ 15.25 billion for the victims of the storm Harvey and temporarily raising the debt ceiling. "Our thoughts and prayers accompany all those who have been touched," said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, spokesman for the US president, announcing this signature.
After the green light of the Senate on Thursday, the elected representatives of the House of Representatives voted by 316 votes to 90 in favor of this text, which had been the subject of a compromise between the Republican president and the Democratic minority. "Thank you to my colleagues in Congress," said Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican politician, who is preparing for the arrival of another hurricane, Irma, this weekend, and will benefit from the bailout of Federal emergency agency Fema, which already oversees aid to Texas and Louisiana, suffered by Harvey.
The opposition came entirely from the Republican party, especially from the conservative wing, scandalized that emergency funds are not funded by savings elsewhere in the budget. The Conservatives also regret that the legal limit of the debt has been increased without structural reform. But the raising of this limit ensures that the United States will not default on their debt at the end of September; President Donald Trump made it a priority.
Deferred iron arm
The law also finances the federal state until 8 December, avoiding the possible closure of administrations at the beginning of the new budget year, which begins on 1 October. "By financing the state for the next three months, the Americans can be reassured, until we find a permanent solution in the coming months," said a White House official.
The law de facto deferred the struggle in Congress in December, auguring for a year-end conflicting and very busy; the majority has in fact launched the process of a major tax reform, which the leaders of Congress want to achieve before 2018. The Republican majority and the Democratic opposition, which has a blocking power in the Senate, will have to agree to find a lasting solution on the budget and on the debt, or even on issues as hot as taxes, immigration or the construction of a wall at the border with Mexico.
Donald Trump "gave the Democrats an incredible leverage to derail the tax reform," said Conservative Sean Duffy on Fox News. "It will come back to him in the figure, it will be a big problem." The law passed on Friday also extends until December 8 the life of a public flood insurance program, which was expiring.