The House acted first on disaster relief this year, shortly after Democrats assumed the majority there. The chamber on Jan. 16 passed a $14.2-billion disaster-aid measure, which included $3.1 billion for infrastructure and economic development programs, plus $2.5 billion for resiliency-related work, according to Appropriations Committee Democrats.

But Senate Republican leaders didn’t embrace the House-passed version. Instead, on March 26­—as heavy flooding hit the Midwest—Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) unveiled a $13.5-billion alternative package. Some infrastructure line-items in Shelby’s bill are similar or identical to the allocations in the House-passed bill. For example, the House version has $715 million for Army Corps of Engineers civil-works construction; Shelby’s proposal includes $740 million.

Both also have about $850 million for military construction and include $1.65 billion to reimburse states for costs they incurred for post-disaster highway and bridge repairs and other expenses.

Senate Democrats on April 4 offered an alternative to Shelby’s plan, proposing to add $3.2 billion to the Shelby package. Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Appropriations’ top Democrat, said $2.5 billion of the new funds would address damage from Midwest floods and tornadoes in Alabama. He also said it would add $462 million for Puerto Rico, including $158 million for rebuilding water infrastructure.

But Senate Republicans didn’t support the Democrats’ plan. At ENR press time, that left the outlook for disaster-aid legislation unclear.