Biden warns hurricane-relief funding needed soon as he calls on Congress to ‘step up’

President Joe Biden and other leaders are warning that Congress will soon need to pass additional funding to fill the federal government’s rapidly dwindling disaster-relief coffers after two major hurricanes slammed into the southeastern US.

President Joe Biden and other leaders are warning that Congress will soon need to pass additional funding to fill the federal government’s rapidly dwindling disaster-relief coffers after two major hurricanes slammed into the Southeastern US. While officials have stressed that the federal government has enough funds to address immediate needs that have risen from hurricanes Milton and Helene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund has been dwindling quickly as the agency has had to address two devastating hurricanes in quick succession — on top of what has been a historically extreme year for weather events across the country. Biden is planning to visit Florida on Sunday to see areas affected by Milton. The president on Friday said he hasn’t spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson, but wants to — adding the Republican leader needs to “step up” to start the process to get relief funding passed, “particularly for small businesses.” The Small Business Administration oversees a loan program for homeowners and small businesses recovering from disasters, providing between $100,000 and $2 million to rebuild destroyed or damaged property. Biden wrote to congressional leaders last week that that program “will run out of funding in a matter of weeks and well before the Congress is planning to reconvene.” “We’re going to be going to the Congress. We’re going to need a lot of help. Going to need a lot more money as we identify specifically how much is needed. So I’m just telling everybody now — I don’t want to hear that this is going to be the end of it,” Biden said Friday, noting that experts estimate that “damage is around $50 billion from Hurricane Milton alone.” But neither Johnson nor Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has made any indication they plan to call back members, who are on recess until after the November election.