House Speaker Mike Johnson sent his thoughts and prayers to hurricane victims, as Democratic lawmakers begged him to call Congress back into session to pass emergency funding to address Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
More than 60 House Democrats signed a letter Wednesday urging Johnson to assemble lawmakers to pass additional funding on top of last month’s stopgap bill, which provided the Federal Emergency Management Agency with $20 billion.
“The funds previously allocated were a necessary first step, allowing for an initial response to the immediate aftermath of these disasters,” read the letter. “However, as recovery efforts continue, it is abundantly clear that these funds will not suffice.”
While FEMA has said that it has enough money “for immediate response and recovery needs,” it’s not clear how long this funding will last, given the frequency and intensity of this season’s storms.
FEMA “must be equipped not only to respond to current disasters but also to adequately prepare for future events,” the letter said. “This requires substantial funding that ensures FEMA can maintain a state of readiness and provide immediate assistance when disasters strike.”
The letter was not signed by a single Republican.
Johnson doesn’t seem interested in calling Congress back into session any time soon. During a visit to North Carolina Wednesday, Johnson claimed that there was little Congress could do until the storms had passed.
“What happens next after a storm like this is that the states then do their individual assessments and calculations of the damages and then they submit that need to the federal government. Then Congress acts,” Johnson said. “So as soon as those calculations are prepared, Congress will act in a bipartisan fashion to supply what is needed to help these communities recover, the appropriate amount that the federal government should do.”
“But it will take some time, sadly and unfortunately, for those calculations to be made. In the meantime, again, literally billions of dollars are sitting in accounts at FEMA with the administration to address the immediate needs,” Johnson explained.
“When I last checked, as of Monday, only one percent of those funds had actually been distributed. There’s concern that the federal response was a little too slow, and that needs to be addressed.”
Later that evening, Johnson posted on X. “Our prayers are with the people of Florida tonight as they endure Hurricane Milton,” he wrote .
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