International Courant
Speaker of the U.S. Home of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a press convention on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2024.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Home Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday didn’t decide to reconvening Congress earlier than the election after President Joe Biden pressed congressional leaders over doable funding shortfalls within the wake of Hurricane Helene.
In an interview on “Fox Information Sunday,” Johnson was requested in regards to the challenge Biden’s letter to congressional leaders on Friday asking for extra money for federal catastrophe restoration efforts and past Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the division would not manage to pay for to get by means of the remainder of the hurricane season.
In his letter, the president urged Congress to revive funding to the Small Enterprise Administration’s catastrophe mortgage program, which was already going through potential funding shortfalls earlier than Hurricane Helene devastated components of the Southeast. The president famous that the White Home was asking for extra funding for this system as Congress ready a plan short-term financing regulation handed final month to stop a authorities shutdown.
Requested whether or not he would reconvene Congress earlier than the election, Johnson replied: “We’ll reconvene instantly after the election.”
“That is in 30 days. The issue with these hurricanes and disasters of this magnitude is that it takes some time to calculate the precise harm, and states are going to take a while to try this,” Johnson stated, including that figuring out “particular harm” wants and requests primarily based on the precise harm brought on by pure disasters take time.
Johnson famous that earlier than Congress went into recess the day earlier than Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, Congress had appropriated an extra $20 billion for the Federal Emergency Administration Company to deal with instant wants.
“After that, Congress at all times takes the suitable strategy by offering what is critical,” he stated. “Congress will present this. We’ll assist folks in these disaster-prone areas. It’s an applicable function for the federal authorities, and you should have bipartisan help for that, and it’ll all occur in due time, and we are going to get it. that job carried out. We do not have to fret about that.”
Johnson’s feedback come after Biden stated in remarks on the White Home final week that he expects to ask Congress for an extra funding request for areas affected by Hurricane Helene.
When requested on the time whether or not he would ask Congress to return from recess for a particular session for an extra request, the president left the chance open, saying, “That is one thing I could need to ask for, however there hasn’t been a call made.”
Congress took fast motion about funding pure catastrophe aid previously, even throughout recess, a Biden administration official famous when approached for remark.
Johnson’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Johnson was additionally put below stress false claims by some Republicans that FEMA used funds for migrants who entered the nation illegally as an alternative of for catastrophe aid, which White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre known as “categorically false” on Friday.
The speaker acknowledged that funding streams for border and hurricane response at FEMA are totally different, earlier than additional emphasizing that FEMA’s mission is to help folks affected by pure disasters, and to not have interaction in funding that helps migrants who crossed the southern border.
Johnson claimed, with out proof, that the Biden administration, Vice President Kamala Harris and Mayorkas have been “concerned on this program,” saying they used taxpayer cash to assist migrants resettle by reimbursing nongovernmental organizations that ship migrants to transported the nation.
“The American persons are disgusted by this, and so are Republicans in Congress,” he stated. “And it’ll cease after November 5, as a result of we can have a unified authorities with Republicans on the helm, and we are going to convey frequent sense again to this case.”
Mike Johnson will not decide to bringing Home again for extra hurricane aid earlier than the election
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