Texas Delegation, Abbott Request $19 Billion in Federal Aid for Harvey

WASHINGTON -- Texas lawmakers are making a push for nearly $19 billion in additional federal aid for their storm-battered state.On Thursday, Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and the majority of the Texas House delegation submitted a formal request to Senate and House appropriators requesting $18.7 billion in aid as part of the next supplemental appropriations bill. Gov. Greg Abbott also signed the request.Last month, Congress approved a $15.3 billion aid package, but the lawmakers wrote that “in light of the unprecedented damage from Hurricane Harvey and the historical flooding of Houston, Beaumont and surrounding regions, we all recognize that the funding already appropriated is a small fraction of the federal resources needed to help rebuild Texas and reinvigorate the American economy.”  Continue reading...