Fox first appearance: House Republicans from southeast Georgia are calling on Congressional leaders to bring lawmakers back to Washington, D.C., as soon as possible to approve additional disaster relief funds.
Weeks after two hurricanes hit parts of the southeastern United States, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) on Friday spoke to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Senate Majority Whip Chuck Schumer. He sent a letter to general affairs (New York) and other leaders. .
“Rain, wind, and flooding from Hurricanes Debbie, Helen, and Milton killed more than 200 Americans and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage, including to critical infrastructure such as power grids, major roads, and bridges. Happened. More,” Carter wrote.
“These storms were the deadliest and most destructive storms to hit the continental United States since Hurricane Katrina.”
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Congressman Buddy Carter is calling on Congressional leaders to bring members back to Washington, D.C., to deal with storm relief. (Getty Images)
This is a notable demand from allies in the House Republican leadership like Mr. Carter, especially after Johnson has all but definitively ruled out the possibility of convening the House early.
This comes days after the Small Business Administration (SBA) warned that disaster relief loans are running out of money and Biden administration officials warned that FEMA does not have enough funds to get through hurricane season. is.
He told Fox News Digital earlier this month that the $20 billion in FEMA funding released by Congress in September is enough to meet immediate needs for storm recovery. Johnson reasoned that state and local officials would also likely take until mid-November to tally how much additional funding is needed, at which point lawmakers would return to Washington.
Biden administration officials agree that FEMA has enough money to meet immediate needs, but warned that it will be underfunded for the entire season.
Johnson slams Biden administration's 'lack of leadership' on Helen: 'Alarmed and disappointed'
Aerial view of destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen's flooding in Batcave, North Carolina, on October 8. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, bondive choruses seeking early returns of Congress continue to increase from the mainly influenced states.
Helen, which struck about three weeks ago, hit parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and other states, causing devastating damage and killing dozens of people. The following week, Hurricane Milton attacked Mexico Gulf, Florida with its fatal power.
These storms and Hurricane Debbie caused potentially billions of dollars in damage to both public and private property, and hundreds of Americans who survived the storms may have been left homeless.
The seriousness of the situation comes as the SBA announced in a press release earlier this week that “funds in the Disaster Loan Program have been depleted as the SBA warned that increased demand from Hurricane Helen could soon lead to depletion of funds.” It got worse.
Republican representatives say that Hurricane Removal activities in Florida are hindered due to lack of fuel and power outage.
“Until Congress appropriates additional funds, the SBA is suspending new loan proposals for direct low-interest, long-term loans to disaster survivors,” the SBA said.
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“While we appreciate Congressional leadership's efforts to replenish funding for these critical disaster relief programs, we currently do not support new SBA funding for those trying to rebuild their businesses and homes,” Carter said in the letter. “The suspension of loan offers is already slowing recovery efforts.”
“Given the urgent need for assistance to millions of Americans, Congress must convene as soon as possible to replenish the SBA disaster loan program and ensure funding certainty for other disaster programs, including FEMA. Please do so,” the congressman wrote.
When asked for a response, Johnson's office told Fox News Digital, pointing to Johnson's previous comments, saying, “Several catastrophic storms have put stress on SBA funding programs.'' There's no question about it. But the Biden-Harris administration now has the necessary disaster funding.” To address the immediate needs of the American people in these hurricane-hit areas, Congress is closely tracking this situation, and once lawmakers return in just a few weeks, the administration will be able to determine exactly how much money is actually needed. It needs to be evaluated and there will be strong funding available. We need bipartisan support to provide the necessary funding. ”
Fox News Digital also sought comments from Schumer's office.
