More than 60 House Democrats have signed on to a letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to "immediately" call Congress back into session to pass funding addressing Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The Democrats fear the intense storm season will strain emergency agencies' budgets to their breaking point before lawmakers' scheduled return to Washington next month.
Johnson, however, said during a trip to North Carolina on Wednesday that "it will take some time" for states to calculate the extent of their financial need.
Pointing to the stopgap spending bill the House passed last month, which included $20 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Johnson argued the federal government has "the resources necessary right now to address the immediate needs."
The letter, led by Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-Fla.), argues the stopgap funds "will not suffice."
It was not, however, signed by any Republicans – despite some GOP lawmakers making the case that the House should cut its recess short to respond to the storms.
FEMA has said it has enough money "for immediate response and recovery needs."
But President Biden said in a letter to Congress' leaders last week that the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program "will run out of funding in a matter of weeks and well before the Congress is planning to reconvene."
Posted by John3262005