House passes USD 19.1 bn disaster relief, Trump opposed

The US House on Friday approved USD 19.1 billion in disaster relief to help hard-hit communities like Puerto Rico, but President Donald Trump opposes the package which faces party bickering over funding.

On the eve of the vote in the Democratic-controlled chamber, Trump urged Republicans to reject the "BAD DEMOCRAT Disaster Supplemental Bill" and continue negotiating on the emergency package aimed at providing recovery assistance to Americans affected by storms, wildfires and floods.

But in a rebuke of Trump, 34 Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, which cleared the House of Representatives 257-150.

At a Florida rally on Thursday, Trump wrongly said Puerto Rico, a US territory, had already received USD 91 billion in disaster aid in the wake of deadly 2017 hurricanes that devastated the island.

Puerto Rico has been promised about half that amount and spent just USD 11 billion, according to a Washington Post fact check.

House Appropriations Committee chair Nita Lowey .