Detailed in a press release, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Representative Kevin Brady (TX-08) led a bipartisan letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to urge him to eliminate bureaucratic delays and allocate Community Development Block – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grants directly to Houston and Harris County.
The letter was also signed by Governor Greg Abbott, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (TX-10), Ted Poe (TX-02), John Culberson (TX-07), Pete Olson (TX-22), Al Green (TX-09), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Gene Green (TX-29), Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.
“We write today urging you to approve the direct allocation of the appropriate share of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funds (CDBG-DR) passed by Congress in H.R. 601, the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2018, to both Houston and Harris County,” they wrote.
“As you know, Hurricane Harvey is one the most expensive storms in our nation’s history, costing well over $100 billion. A large portion of this damage occurred in the City of Houston and Harris County area, where nearly 60 inches of rain was recorded across the region. With over 100,000 homes sustaining flood damage in Houston alone, we need to move as quickly as we can so our families can start to be made whole. A direct allocation of funds to Houston and Harris County will help not only ensure local control, but also speed the recovery process as well.”