Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Sunday declined to commit to getting Congress back into session before the election in response to President Joe Biden’s questions about possible budget deficits following Hurricane Helene.
Johnson was questioned about Biden’s letter to congressional leaders on Friday, asking for additional funding for federal disaster recovery efforts, and about Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s warning that the agency does not have enough funding to get through the remainder of hurricane season, during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
The Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program was in danger of financing gaps even before Hurricane Helene damaged areas of the Southeast, and the president urged Congress to restore funds to it in his letter. As Congress was drafting the short-term funding agreement that was approved last month to prevent a government shutdown, the president mentioned that the White House had asked for additional cash for the program.
“We’ll be back in session immediately after the election,” Johnson said in response to a question about whether he would summon Congress back into session before the election.
That is in thirty days. Johnson noted that assessing “specific needs and requests based upon the actual damages” from natural disasters takes time. “The thing about these hurricanes and disasters of this magnitude is it takes a while to calculate the actual damages, and the states are going to need some time to do that,” Johnson said.
Johnson pointed out that the day before Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, Congress had allocated an extra $20 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to meet urgent requirements before adjourning.
“After that, Congress always proceeds appropriately by providing what is required,” he remarked. Congress is going to supply. People in these disaster-prone locations will receive our assistance. It’s a legitimate function of the federal government, and all parties will agree on that. Everything will work out in due course, and the task will be completed. That is not anything to be concerned about.
Johnson made these statements in response to Biden’s announcement last week at the White House that he planned to pursue additional assistance from Congress for Hurricane Helene-affected communities.
When questioned at the time about whether he would ask Congress to reconvene for a special session when it was on break in order to consider a supplementary request, the president said, “That is something I may have to request, but no decision’s been made yet.”
In the past, even during break, Congress has moved quickly to fund relief operations for natural disasters, according to a Biden administration official contacted for comment.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by Johnson’s office.
Additionally, Johnson faced pressure about unfounded allegations made by certain Republicans that FEMA was allocating monies for the response to illegal immigration rather than disaster relief efforts. Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, described these assertions as “categorically false” on Friday.
The speaker first stated that FEMA’s funding streams for border and storm response are distinct, but then emphasized that the agency’s primary goal is to assist those impacted by natural disasters, not to provide assistance for individuals who have crossed the southern boundary.
Johnson asserted—without providing any supporting documentation—that Mayorkas, the Biden administration, and Vice President Kamala Harris “have been engaged in this program,” claiming they have utilized public funds to reimburse nongovernmental groups that bring in migrants in order to help them with resettlement.
“This disgusts the American people, and Republicans in Congress are up with it,” he said. “And after November 5th, it will end because Republicans will lead a unified government and we will restore sanity to this situation.”
