Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer needs to “immediately reconvene” the upper chamber so it can consider measures to approve FEMA funding in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation, Senator Rick Scott said in a statement today.
“While I know from my experience with past hurricanes that FEMA and SBA damage assessments take time, I am today urging Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately reconvene the U.S. Senate when the assessments are complete so we can clean up. Pass supplemental disaster funding bills and other disaster relief legislation like mine Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act“There is a need to ensure the full recovery of families in all affected communities,” the Florida Republican said.
On Saturday night, after Senator Scott and Senator Marco Rubio wrote a letter to President Joe Biden urging immediate approval of a major disaster declaration for the state of Florida, President Biden approved the request. This major disaster declaration approval follows last week’s approval of the State of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for potentially affected Florida counties at the request of Senators Scott and Rubio.
The interim spending bill approved last week was “likely” to avoid a government shutdown. hurricane helen That’s why lawmakers made sure FEMA could spend its existing reserves more quickly to respond to immediate needs after the storm. Additionally, a senior House Republican source told Fox that “this is why shutting down the government would be a bad idea.”
Biden gets defensive when pressed on who led Hurricane Helen response
The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and the town of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, with debris following heavy rains from Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024 in Lake Lure, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
But earlier today, before Scott’s statement, a senior congressional source familiar with the purse strings acknowledged that “I wouldn’t be surprised” if lawmakers were called back to Washington to approve additional funding to respond to urgent needs because The devastation has been very bad. ,
“I’m not opposed to it,” a senior House Republican said. “And I wouldn’t agree with those who say we won’t come back.”
He said, second senior house republicans “We will definitely need emergency funding. Western North Carolina is like New Orleans during Katrina,” he told Fox. But the source cautioned that it is doubtful Congress will take action next month. That’s a far cry from Congress returning to emergency session just days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2006.
What remains to be seen in the coming days is whether FEMA will have enough funding to respond to the devastating impact of Helen in the near future.
Congress left the city without providing adequate disaster relief to deal with “chronic” natural disasters. In particular, there has been a push to provide more funding to respond to Hurricane Beryl, which hit Texas in July. There are also problems responding to tornadoes in Iowa. And there’s a long-standing issue over providing adequate funding to Hawaii after Maui burned in wildfires last year.
Some lawmakers wanted additional disaster aid to be included in the interim spending bill that Congress approved last week to keep the government open — and then left town by mid-November.
However, the temporary spending bill provided FEMA authority Reducing the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) more rapidly. The question is whether the DRF has reached its lowest level after Helen. Or, certainly if there are impacts from other potential hurricanes that may soon arise in the Gulf of Mexico. Fox said the combination of another hurricane — along with addressing needs after Helene — could hurt FEMA’s coffers.
That said, a source familiar with congressional spending indicated that despite the almost apocalyptic nature of Helen, we don’t yet know enough about the needs. A better understanding of things may come at the end of this week.
In this August 2006 file photo, the city skyline is seen with Bayou St. John in the foreground in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 25, 2006. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
So what happens if FEMA’s disaster relief funds run low?
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Congress can be recalled To reload funds. This occurred after Hurricane Katrina in the late summer of 2005. Congress was out of session during the traditional August recess – which often lasts a few days in early September. Several days after Katrina hit, it was clear that the impact would quickly deplete FEMA’s funds. In a dramatic midnight session, then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) recalled the Senate and a skeleton crew to approve the additional aid. The House soon followed suit.
