House votes on disaster aid bill before holiday weekend

After the Senate passed the $19 billion disaster aid package with a vote of 85 to 8, Democratic aides say the House is now expected to pass the same bill by unanimous consent during its morning pro forma session on Friday. Most members have already left Washington for Memorial Day weekend and the president is slated to depart for his overseas trip to Japan. 

The package includes much-needed assistance to states struck by floods, storms and fire, and aid for Puerto Rico, which suffered substantial damage in 2017 from Hurricane Maria, the most powerful storm to hit Puerto Rico in almost 90 years. 

Throughout the afternoon on Thursday, no GOP aides were able to give a firm answer on whether any of their members would object. A senior Democratic aide told CBS News’ Rebecca Kaplan that Republican leaders are satisfied with the bill and hope no GOP lawmakers object. 

If passed and signed by the president, the disaster package would deliver aid to Puerto Ricans facing food assistance cuts, communities in Midwestern states like Iowa and Missouri recovering from devastating floods and farmers in the south still struggling after Hurricane Michael ravaged their harvests last year.  

Emily Tillett and Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.