Johnson shuts down calls for Congress to return early to approve additional FEMA funding

House Speaker Mike Johnson's office on Thursday rejected calls for Congress to return from their pre-election recess in order to approve additional disaster funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the wake of two major hurricanes.

Both chambers of Congress are in recess until after the November 5 election, so lawmakers can campaign in their home states. But two hurricanes have hit the Southeast recently, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has warned FEMA will be out of disaster relief funds before the hurricane season ends.

Republican lawmakers have rejected the calls so far, with Johnson claiming that the $20 billion allocated in a stop-gap funding bill last month should suffice.

“To be clear: Congress will act again upon its return in November to address funding needs and ensure those impacted receive the necessary resources,” Athina Lawson, a spokesperson for Johnson, told Politico on Thursday. “In the meantime, the Administration needs to focus on getting the existing and sufficient disaster relief out to the millions of Americans in dire need and work to assess the extent and nature of the damage."

“Until the Administration does the work to provide an assessment, any action by Congress will be premature," she added.

Mayorkas and the White House have maintained that FEMA has enough money to respond to the "immediate needs" from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, but warned that future disasters could pose serious problems. 

President Joe Biden on Thursday even urged Congress to return "immediately," to help pass funding, and said additional funding would also be needed when they return on November 12. The president said one area Congress could help is by funding the Small Business Administration’s disaster loans program, which is also almost out of resources.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.