(WBRZ News 2) Governor John Bel Edwards will travel to Washington D.C. this weekend to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss flood and tornado relief.
On Monday, Edwards will meet with President Trump and other governors. He will then meet with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to discuss Louisiana's unmet needs from the floods of 2016.
The state is requesting an additional $2 billion in assistance. Edwards and the Louisiana congressional delegation previously secured $1.6 billion in flood relief.
The state has received federal approval of the first Action Plan for assistance. The Action Plan for the second appropriation of funds is pending final federal approval with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Edwards will also be attending the National Governor's Association Winter meeting. He will participate in his first meeting as a member of the Council of Governors since being appointed by President Barack Obama in September. The council is made up of 10 state governors appointed by the president.
On Friday, Edwards will meeting with Robert Fenton, acting administrator of FEMA, to discuss the state's ongoing flood recovery and the tornadoes that struck south Louisiana.
On Sunday, Edwards will meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to discuss the impact of Medicaid Expansion in the state. More than 402,000 working poor in Louisiana have received coverage and the state has saved nearly $200 million.
Edwards will return to Louisiana on Monday night.
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