UPDATE: The released Tuesday, Dec. 18, includes $399 million for the "acquisition of hurricane hunter aircraft and related expenses."
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, and other Florida congressional members have written to top House and Senate leaders pressing them to include money to modernize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) hurricane hunter aircraft fleet in any upcoming emergency disaster relief supplemental package.
The funding, as requested in the Biden administration's recent supplemental request, would enable NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations to complete construction of two new hurricane hunter planes already in progress and acquire a third.
The modernization effort is vital to maintaining the nation's hurricane and extreme weather forecasting capabilities, say the lawmakers.
鈥淲ith increasingly severe hurricane seasons, communities across the nation are relying more than ever on NOAA鈥檚 life-saving storm tracking and forecasting capabilities,鈥� said Wasserman Schultz in a statement. 鈥淏y investing in new hurricane hunter aircraft now, we ensure that NOAA can continue to protect lives, property, and entire communities from the growing threats of extreme weather.鈥�
Other South Florida lawmakers signing the letter: U.S. Rep. Mar铆a Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R鈭扢iami, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D鈭扢iami Gardens, and U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D鈭扨arkland.
Just before lawmakers left Washington in September, they a short-term extension of government funding to avoid a shutdown before the election. They still need to pass full-year spending bills for the current fiscal year, or at least another extension, by Dec. 20, during a lame-duck session 鈥� that period between Election Day and the end of the two-year congressional term in January.
A Republican aide in the House and another in the Senate not authorized to speak publicly about internal planning told The Associated Press it is likely that Congress will pass another short-term extension into early next year rather than complete work on the bills.
POLITICO, however, Thursday that the Freedom Caucus 鈥� a group of conservative lawmakers 鈥� opposed any disaster relief needs that go beyond what is 鈥渁bsolutely necessary." Biden's emergency aid request was for nearly $100 billion.
