Will Congress rush back to DC to pass Hurricane Helene, Milton relief funding? What to know.
By Riley Beggin, USA TODAY,
13 hours ago
WASHINGTON – Hurricane Helene had barely passed through the Southeast before Florida was battered with another devastating storm, Hurricane Milton .
The back-to-back storms have stretched some disaster relief agencies thin, prompting President Joe Biden to press Congress to “move as rapidly as they can” to pass more emergency aid, especially to help supplement loans for small business wrecked by the hurricanes.
Biden and members of Congress from both parties have argued lawmakers should come back to Washington early to approve more funding. But it doesn’t look like that will happen until after the November election. Lawmakers have long been scheduled to be on a recess and spend time in their districts in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
But emergency officials and others aren't just calling on lawmakers to approve more money. The Federal Emergency Management Authority has raised the alarm on misinformation, saying it could discourage survivors from seeking assistance.
Here’s what you need to know.
What has Congress done already?
Last month, Congress passed a deal that extended FEMA’s current level of funding, $20 billion, through Dec. 20. They also added a way for the agency to spend that money quickly if needed, granting more flexibility than usual.
However, that bill didn't include additional dollars for FEMA or the Small Business Administration, which the White House and Congressional Democrats had asked for to help with long-term cleanup efforts from other disasters, like the wildfires that devastated Maui last year.
What does FEMA need?
FEMA officials haven't directly said how much additional funding they need to address the disasters long term. However, they have said they've got enough money in the short term to help survivors. Biden said Thursday it will take "several billion dollars" to rebuild after both hurricanes.
“We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton” and the tornadoes that came from each, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday. “That said, we will need additional funds” when Congress returns.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters Wednesday that the agency spent around $9 billion of the $20 billion approved by Congress for the rest of the year in only one week, before Milton hit Florida Wednesday night. That’s in part because it was reimbursing states after it had paused funds for disasters they faced earlier in the year.
Criswell earlier this week specifically pushed back against former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Those have included allegations that there are “no helicopters, no rescue” in North Carolina.
She warned that broader misinformation about recovery efforts are "creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government. And we have so many first responders that have been working day and night to go out and help these communities."
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What about other key resources?
Another critical source of disaster relief funds is struggling.
The Small Business Administration will run out of funding “in a matter of weeks” if Congress doesn’t act, Biden said in a letter to Congressional leaders Friday.
The agency helps businesses after disasters, but also helps individual homeowners and renters with loans to cover the cost of fixing their homes or other personal property. SBA loans “are often the largest source of federal disaster recovery funds” for individuals, Biden said.
“We look forward to working with Congress to secure the federal resources necessary to ensure the SBA can continue funding affordable disaster loans for homeowners, renters, small businesses, and nonprofits,” SBA administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a statement. “Americans should not have to wait for critical assistance when they need it the most.”
What do lawmakers want?
Biden told reporters Thursday that Congress “should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately,” adding, “they’re going to have to come back after the election as well.”
Well if they don’t rush back to help the American citizens impacted, dying and suffering they should all be fired for being traitors to our country and it’s people.
andrew marks
4h ago
Members of Congress stopped being public servants long ago. Now they are Princes, and Princesses and they will not help the working class. They already said no to more FEMA funding weeks ago so expect more of the same from members of Congress.
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