Biden administration asks for billions in disaster and refugee funding in request to keep government running

The Biden administration is asking for billions of dollars for extreme weather recovery efforts and the resettlement of Afghan refugees in its proposal to keep the government funded past September 30.

In a Tuesday afternoon call with reporters, administration officials detailed the billions of dollars the White House is requesting from Congress in addition to the general appropriations necessary to keep the government running. The officials, who declined to be named, called on Congress to appropriate more than $14 billion to aid with recovery and "unmet needs" from recent natural disasters, including wildfires and storms, plus at least $10 billion to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. The amount of funding for hurricanes is a recognition of the extent of the devastation from climate change-fueled disasters, including fires, hurricanes and floods.