Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., on February 14, 2024.
Leah Millis | Reuters
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday stopped short of committing to reconvening Congress before the election after President Joe Biden pressed congressional leaders about potential funding shortfalls following Hurricane Helene.
Johnson was asked in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” Biden’s letter to congressional leaders Friday’s call for more funding for federal disaster recovery efforts comes after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warns The department does not have enough funds to survive the remainder of hurricane season.
In his letter, the president urged Congress to restore funding for the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program, which faced potential shortfalls even before Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast. The president noted that the White House is asking for more funding for the program as Congress prepares a Short-term financing bill passed last month to avert government shutdown.
Asked whether he would reconvene Congress before the election, Johnson responded: “We will reconvene immediately after the election.”
“That’s 30 days from now. The problem with these hurricanes and a disaster of this magnitude is that it takes a while to calculate the actual damage, and it’s going to take states some time to do that,” Johnson said, adding, Determining “specific losses” Determining needs and requirements based on actual losses from natural disasters takes time.
Johnson noted that before Congress adjourned, the day before Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, Congress allocated an additional $20 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to meet current needs.
“After that, Congress always takes appropriate steps to provide the necessary things,” he said. “Congress is going to help. We’re going to help people in these disaster-prone areas. This is an appropriate role for the federal government and you’re going to have bipartisan support and it’s going to happen in due time and we’re going to get the jobs done.” Done, don’t worry.
Johnson’s comments came after Biden said in a speech at the White House last week that he expected to ask Congress to request additional funding for areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
Asked whether he would ask Congress to convene into a special session after recess to make a supplemental request, the president left open the possibility, saying: “That’s something I might have to ask for, but that hasn’t been decided yet.”
congress prompt action taken A Biden administration official noted in an interview that there have been questions in the past about funding natural disaster relief efforts, even during recess.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Johnson was also asked Some Republicans falsely claim FEMA Directing funds to immigrants who enter the country illegally instead of disaster relief, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called it “absolutely wrong” on Friday.
The spokesperson acknowledged that FEMA’s funding streams for border and hurricane response are different, then went on to insist that FEMA’s mission is to help people affected by natural disasters, not to help migrants crossing the southern border. funds.
Johnson claimed without evidence that the Biden administration, Vice President Kamala Harris and Mayorkas were “involved in this scheme,” saying they used taxpayer dollars to funnel migrants into the country. NGOs provide compensation and help with resettlement.
“The American people are disgusted and disgusted by this, and so are the Republicans in Congress,” he said. “This will stop after November 5th because we will have a unified government led by Republicans and we will Will bring sanity back to the situation.”
