U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today released a list of 153 projects across South Dakota that have been delayed due to a lack of disaster relief funding. Johnson is calling for action on a bill that passed the Senate last week, which would replenish FEMA’s emergency disaster relief fund and help communities in South Dakota and across the country recover from flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
“Every day that Congress fails to reach a compromise on disaster relief, work remains stopped on 153 construction projects in South Dakota. From Moody County in the east to Jackson County in the west and communities across our state, roadways, bridges and safety improvements are stopped due to a lack of FEMA funding. This comes just as our state is beginning to recover from recent flooding and as farmers are harvesting their crops,” said Johnson.
“The Republican bill cannot pass the Senate, and as we saw last night, it lacks the votes to pass the House. The House should take up the bipartisan FEMA legislation passed by the Senate so we can help the people hit hard by natural disasters. House Republicans should end the political brinksmanship and pass disaster relief,” concluded Johnson.