House Speaker Mike Johnson is under growing pressure to reconvene Congress before November’s election to approve a disaster relief package in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Both Republicans and Democrats have urged Johnson to cut short the October recess and pass additional funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday, exacerbating the devastation caused by Helene, which hit the state as a Category 4 storm just two weeks prior and continued to impact several southeastern states.
Amid concerns about FEMA’s capacity to manage both crises, President Joe Biden said Thursday that Congress should return “immediately” to address emergency needs. However, Johnson has resisted these calls, stating that FEMA already has the funds necessary to respond.
Congress gave FEMA $20 billion
“It can wait,” Johnson said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “Congress appropriated $20 billion additional dollars to FEMA to ensure they have the resources to address immediate needs.” This funding was part of a stopgap bill passed in late September to keep the government funded through December 20.
Despite the recent allocation, officials have raised concerns about FEMA’s financial situation. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had warned that while FEMA could handle immediate needs, the agency might struggle to cover the full hurricane season. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell revealed on Wednesday that the agency has already spent $9 billion.
Over 60 House Democrats signed a letter on October 9 calling on Johnson to “immediately reconvene” the House to pass a robust disaster relief package. They emphasized the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and urged Congress to ensure FEMA can maintain its readiness and provide timely aid. The letter also highlighted the need to replenish the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program to help affected businesses recover.
Senators supporting emergency action
In a similar plea, bipartisan senators from states impacted by Helene urged Congress to address the “unmet needs” of their constituents. This may require reconvening before the election to pass a relief package before the year’s end. Republican senators who signed the letter included Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Marsha Blackburn, Bill Hagerty, and Ted Budd—though the latter three had voted against the September stopgap bill.
A MoveOn petition calling for Congress to return immediately has gathered 40,000 signatures, criticizing Johnson for delaying action while hurricane victims suffer. “Disaster funding should never be a partisan issue,” the petition reads, stressing the urgent need for relief.
In his appearance on Face the Nation, Johnson defended his decision to wait until after the election, arguing it would be premature to act before FEMA completes damage assessments from Helene and Milton. “Once FEMA calculates the costs, Congress will meet in a bipartisan fashion to address those needs,” he said, assuring that additional resources would be provided once a clearer picture of the recovery needs is available.
