Congress is still negotiating a final package for President Biden’s nearly $100 billion disaster aid request and are likely to make sparse cuts to his sprawling appeal for aid.

The disaster aid package, which Mr. Biden requested in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, is expected to be attached to the incoming short-term government funding patch, which Congress will need to pass before the Dec. 20 shutdown deadline.

The current sticking point for the top lawmakers on the House and Senate appropriations committees is what the final topline spending number will be. 

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, estimated that the top line for the bill would fall between $90 billion to $100 billion, nearly all of Mr. Biden’s initial request.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency would receive the majority, or $40 billion, of Mr. Biden’s ask to refill the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund. The previous stopgap bill passed in September opened up $20 billion for the fund, but FEMA has quickly burned through that additional cash flow. 

The disaster aid package has met resistance from House Freedom Caucus members, who have vowed to vote against it unless the extra spending was paid for.

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, said he was always interested in looking for ways to avoid adding to the deficit, but the disaster aid and stop-gap spending needs Democratic support.

“This will be a bipartisan vote, and I don’t consider disaster aid to be a partisan issue,” he said.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, Georgia Republican in the Freedom Caucus, said billions of dollars could be cut to fund the package, including at least $40 billion from the Internal Revenue Service.

“From what I saw, there is at least $125 billion available,” Mr. Clyde said. “There’s no reason whatsoever that we should be passing any disaster relief that is not paid for by rescissions when we have rescissions available.”

It also includes $21 billion to the Agriculture Department to help farmers and ranchers recoup crop and livestock losses, $12 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $8 billion for the Transportation Department for highway and bridge repairs. 

Republicans also take issue with the money flowing to programs not closely related to disaster aid, like over $4 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency and $1 billion to the Education Department.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.