WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed a $19.1 billion disaster aid bill aimed at helping communities across the country bounce back from volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and fires.
Trump tweeted a photo of himself holding the signed bill in what appeared to his office aboard Air Force One. The tweet came shortly after Trump landed in Ireland following a ceremony in France commemorating the D-Day invasion.
Trump says the aid, which will benefit states including Hawaii, Georgia and Florida, is: “So important for our GREAT American farmers and ranchers.”
The bill includes $78 million for the National Park Service to recover from disasters in 2018 and 2019. The funding will benefit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which suffered extensive damage in 2018 from Kilauea’s lower East Rift Zone eruption.
The bill also includes $49 million for a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory replacement facility and another $20.1 million to help HVO operate in a transitional space by paying for rent, replacement of instruments and equipment, and other costs.
The bill languished for months amid disputes over Trump’s demand for border funding, as well as additional aid for Puerto Rico, which Trump opposed.
Trump nonetheless tweeted the U.S. territory “should love President Trump,” claiming that, “Without me, they would have been shut out!”