President Signs $3.45-Billion Disaster Relief

President Bush today signed a record $3.45-billion disaster relief package intended primarily for earthquake-stricken Northern California, saying the aid signals that “all of us care very much about this.”

Bush, flanked by members of the California congressional delegation in the Oval Office, said the package that was rushed through the House and Senate this week will provide $2.8 billion in aid to quake victims.

Asked by reporters whether the aid will be enough in the face of mounting damage estimates, the President replied: “I’ve pledged to do what we need to do . . . and we got this done.”

“We are hopeful that this action, taken in great speed and compassion by the Congress, will send a signal that all of us, crossing party lines, care very much about this,” he said.

Bush also said that the government action “cannot exceed the action of private citizens who are pitching in to help neighbors and friends out there.”

The legislation also contains assistance for victims of Hurricane Hugo and other natural disasters.

Besides providing earthquake recovery aid, the measure averted a federal government shutdown today and keeps the government operating through Nov. 15 while Congress and the White House complete some late spending bills.

The bill was given final congressional approval Wednesday night when the House accepted, by a 303-107 vote, a Senate amendment that added to a $2.85-billion relief plan the House passed Tuesday.

The Senate beefed up the package, which it passed 97 to 1, by waiving federal rules that would have slowed the flow of money to the state and blocked federal aid in some cases, including repair of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.