WASHINGTON - President Bush will announce today that he will seek about $2-billion in aid for the cleanup and recovery from Hurricane Charley.
At an appearance in Miami, Bush will announce that he is asking Congress to pay for relief programs by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The request already has won key support in Congress.
Rep. C.W. Bill Young, the Largo Republican who heads the House Appropriations Committee, has endorsed the request and says he will pass it quickly.
"I don't think there will be any major problems in getting the bill passed," said Young, who will accompany the president today. "Congress recognizes that a natural disaster of this magnitude has hurt a lot of people. We have an obligation to be supportive and to help."
Bush is visiting Miami for a campaign rally. Before the rally, he and Young will attend a briefing on the hurricane relief efforts.
Bush also will announce how his administration plans to help farmers whose crops were damaged by the storm, which tore through Florida on Aug. 13.
The federal government has earned generally good reviews for its response to the storm. Florida is a key state in the November election, and Bush already has visited once to survey the damage.
The exact amount of the request still hasn't been finalized, but it's expected to be about $2-billion. The request will be formally submitted when Congress returns from its summer break on Sept. 7.
Roughly 40 percent of the money is expected to cover FEMA's costs for programs such as temporary housing, food and crisis counseling. An additional 40 percent would go to state and local governments to reimburse them for damage to roads, schools and bridges.
The remainder of the money would reimburse federal agencies that have provided services such as removing debris and providing ice and water.
The Bush administration says that FEMA has enough money for immediate costs but that the additional money is needed to cover the full costs. Charley is the most expensive storm to hit the state since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
