### Congress Faces Urgent Plea for Additional Disaster Relief Amid Surge of Hurricanes

Congress is under mounting pressure to reconvene and allocate more disaster relief funds as another Category 5 hurricane, Milton, heads toward Florida. This comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated communities across the Southeast.

Hurricane Milton is set to exacerbate an already dire situation. Five other states are still grappling with emergencies due to Helene. Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat and former state emergency management director, highlighted on CNN that there would undoubtedly be resource strain.

The Biden administration has assured that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has enough funds to handle the recovery from both Helene and Milton. However, officials have raised concerns about the sustainability of FEMA's disaster relief fund through the end of the hurricane season in November.

Over two dozen lawmakers, especially from hard-hit states like Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, have urged Congress to cut short their preelection recess to approve a supplemental disaster aid package. While congressional leaders have hesitated, waiting for official cost estimates, the severity of the situation may force their hand.

Last week, a bipartisan group of 12 Texas lawmakers appealed to House leaders to expedite a supplemental disaster funding bill. They stressed the necessity of providing immediate assistance to those affected across multiple states.

Congress previously approved a stopgap measure, releasing just under $20.3 billion for FEMA's disaster fund. However, this provided no new funding for FEMA or other federal disaster programs. In response, Moskowitz introduced a bipartisan bill seeking $10 billion in supplemental funding for FEMA and $5 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's disaster block grant program.

House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged the urgency but emphasized the need to prioritize federal spending, citing the $35 trillion federal debt. He noted it would take weeks for FEMA and states to produce the necessary cost estimates.

Similarly, two Senate Democratic aides indicated that Congress might wait for these estimates and include the supplemental disaster funding in a year-end bill unless FEMA faces a cash crunch sooner.

President Joe Biden recently sent a letter to Congress warning that failure to act could force FEMA to resume its "immediate-needs" mode, potentially withholding funds for non-lifesaving work. Biden urged Congress to provide additional resources to ensure ongoing short- and long-term aid and highlighted the need for funding other disaster-related initiatives.

FEMA has already distributed more than $210 million in federal assistance to individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene, a figure expected to rise significantly. This amount does not account for the broader recovery efforts.

As recovery efforts continue, Johnson plans to visit western North Carolina on Wednesday, one of the areas hardest hit by Helene. Last week, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump visited Georgia, while President Biden made stops in various states severely affected by Helene.