Speaker Johnson: Congress Already Provided FEMA Funds for Helene Response

Debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, N.C., on Sept. 30, 2024. Mike Stewart/AP Photo

After President Joe Biden said he would not rule out calling Congress back to Washington from recess to pass supplemental Hurricane Helene relief funding, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Congress had already authorized the disaster relief funds needed for the immediate response.

In comments made before prepared remarks at the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 1, Johnson said the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) relief fund was replenished with the three-month stopgap spending bill that Biden signed into law this past week.

“Congress has previously provided FEMA with the funds it needs to respond, so we will make sure that those resources are appropriately allocated,” Johnson said.

Several lawmakers in states hit by Hurricane Helene are pushing for Congress to return from its October recess to pass additional disaster relief. Congress is not slated to return to Washington until after the November presidential election.

Biden said on Monday that it is his “expectation” to ask Congress to pass a supplemental funding package to respond to the storm.

“That is something I may have to request, but no decisions are made yet,” Biden said in response to a question at a press conference.

Florida Lawmakers Urge Return to Washington, More Aid

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said in a statement on Monday that Congress should return to “show that it can still deliver for the American people in their hour of greatest need.”

“Congress should have been proactive on this issue. As the only former emergency management director in Congress, I have been sounding the alarm for months that this would be a problem if we just left for recess without properly funding FEMA during the height of hurricane season.”

Moskowitz served as Florida’s director of emergency management from 2019–2021 under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Moskowitz said that FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund was facing a nearly $2 billion deficit at the end of September, and the agency has been in “immediate needs” mode for weeks. He said this has stalled payments for past disasters and caused delays in disaster planning.

Moskowitz proposed a bill on Tuesday to allocate $10 billion to FEMA and $5 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund hurricane relief.

He was joined by fellow Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who co-sponsored the bill.

“My constituents in Pinellas County depend on Congress to take swift and decisive action in the wake of this unprecedented disaster caused by Hurricane Helene,” Luna said in a statement. “I am ready and willing to return to Washington and ensure our communities receive the critical resources necessary for a rapid recovery. Americans are counting on us, and we must take immediate action to address their life-saving needs.”

As of Oct. 2, the storm has left more than 160 people dead with many still missing across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.

“Amid the uncertainty and confusion that these tragedies bring, one thing is certain—in the aftermath of disasters like this, we really do see the best of America,“ Johnson said. ”We see committees come together, we see friends and neighbors help one another. Businesses that are operating find a way to provide food and shelter. Recovery is going to take everybody coming together, but I’m confident that we will rebuild, we will forge ahead, because that’s what we do in America.”