Earlier this month, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL, supported legislation that would have helped people across the nation recover from natural disasters.

The bill would have provided $13.45 billion in supplemental funding for states recently impacted by hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters, as well as those impacted last year.

Additionally, the legislation would have provided $600 million in nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico.

“This assistance is not just for those whose lives were destroyed by the tornado that recently hit my home state of Alabama,” Shelby said. “It is also for those whose homes and crops and livestock have been swept away by catastrophic flooding in the Midwest. We should not delay this assistance, those in need must not be forced to wait any longer.”

Shelby’s remarks came before a procedural vote, which would have cleared the way for the legislation to be taken up – in the end, the legislation was defeated over concerns from Democrats that the measure did not adequately address the needs of Puerto Rico, which is still reeling from Hurricane Maria, which struck the island two years ago.

Last week, Jones was the only member of the Senate to support the disaster relief legislation.

On Thursday, Sen. Doug Jones, D-AL, backed Shelby’s proposal and expressed disappointment in the Senate’s failure to provide much-needed disaster relief funding to Alabama and other states still recovering.

“I am deeply disappointed that a political tug-of-war has once again delayed much-needed disaster aid to Alabamians and others throughout the country,” Jones said. “For months, I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a solution and I have personally reached out to the president to discuss the urgent need for aid.”

Jones blamed partisan bickering for the ongoing stalemate, which he says is causing those impacted by natural disasters to “continue to wait, wondering each day if they’re going to be able to put a crop in the ground this year or to rebuild their homes and businesses.”

“Playing politics when people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake just reaffirms Washington’s reputation for dysfunction and partisanship,” Jones said. “We have to do better and that will require both sides to come together and stop pointing fingers.”

It is unclear when a new bill will be brought forward to address communities across the country still revering from natural disasters, such as Lee County, which suffered staggering losses during a March 3 tornado, and the Wiregrass Region, which had catastrophic crop loss due to Hurricane Michael.