The U.S. Congress is considering an additional $51.8 billion in emergency aid for Hurricane Katrina relief operations.
After talks with President Bush at the White House Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Congress is responding aggressively to the disaster, and working to address the short and long-term needs of the victims.
Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid accused Republicans of having a flawed plan for recovery, saying most of the money should not go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Opposition Democrats and others have slammed FEMA for what they say was a slow response to the disaster.
The Bush administration says the spending bill is the latest installment in a costly relief effort. President Bush last week signed an aid package of $10.5 billion.