The budget deal signed by President Trump on Friday includes $90 billion in disaster aid, much of which will go to Florida and Puerto Rico to help pay for damages and aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
For months, Florida leaders across the political spectrum have pleaded with Congress to pass disaster aid funding.
“This is a big win for all those who are still struggling to recover from last summer’s devastating storms,” said U.S. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, in a statement. “For some, the funding in this bill is a light at the end of the tunnel and a major step forward in helping them return to the way life used to be before these storms.”
There is $2.7 billion for schools affected by the storms, including Florida schools taking in Puerto Rican students whose families fled the island because of Maria.
The bill also includes $2.3 billion to help agriculture, including Florida citrus farmers, recover after losing much of their crop after Irma in September.
Nearly one-third of Puerto Rico remains without electricity four months after Maria hit, and the bill has $2 billion to repair its power grid.
Worries about health care funding for Puerto Rico are also addressed by the $4.8 billion to pay for the island’s Medicaid program for the next two years.