Washington
CNN
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President Joe Biden and other leaders are warning that Congress must soon pass additional funding to fill the federal government’s rapidly dwindling disaster relief coffers after two major hurricanes hit the southeastern United States.

While officials have stressed that the federal government has enough resources to meet immediate needs increased by Hurricanes Milton and Helene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund was shrinking quickly as the agency battled two devastating hurricanes in quick succession — in addition to a historically extreme year for weather events across the country. Biden plans to visit Florida on Sunday to tour areas affected by Milton.

The president said Friday he hasn’t spoken to House Speaker Mike Johnson but wants to – adding the Republican leader must “step in” to begin the process of passing relief money, “particularly for small ones.” Company”. 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 properties.

“We will go to Congress. We’re going to need a lot of help. We will need a lot more money as we determine exactly how much is needed. So I’m just telling everyone now: I don’t want to hear that this is going to be the end,” Biden said Friday, noting that experts estimate “the damage from Hurricane Milton alone is about $50 billion.” .

SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said Friday that it was “a matter of days before our resources would be exhausted.”

“We have been indicating for months that the SBA needs to increase its disaster program so that we can continue to sustain through hurricane season, and of course, given the devastation of Helene, SBA resources will diminish in these six states and now in Milton.” “It is being tapped to help these communities rebuild,” she said in an interview on CNN.

But neither Johnson nor Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has given any indication that they plan to recall members who are on recess until after the November election.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Friday in Florida that while her agency has enough money to “support the immediate needs of the Helene and Milton survivors, it will soon need more money.”

“The disaster relief fund certainly doesn’t have enough money to continue the recovery of everything I have over the course of the entire fiscal year,” Criswell said at a news conference in Punta Gorda.

“We are assessing how much this will take every day, so I can continue to work with my leadership and Congress on when we need a supplement,” the administrator added. “We’re going to need one. It’s just a matter of when.”

Earlier this week, Criswell said that about $9 billion of a $20 billion disaster relief package recently passed by Congress had been used up over the course of a week – a reflection of the rapid pace at which funds are being spent as federal data show more costly disasters occur more frequently.

But discussions over FEMA and disaster relief funding have taken a sharp political turn in recent weeks, a development that could complicate discussions in Congress. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the agency, falsely suggesting that funds meant for hurricane victims were being diverted to migrants or were mysteriously disappearing.

For the third straight day, Biden called out Trump on Friday for spreading falsehoods about the federal government’s response to the storm.

Misinformation and disinformation are “a permanent condition for some extreme people,” the president said. But I don’t think that’s what the country is about. We break through with it, we break through with the truth.”

Biden noted that he has been in contact with Republican mayors and governors and praised them for “standing back against the flood of lies.”

“Hardcore conservative Republicans,” Biden said, “are standing up and saying, ‘This has got to stop.'” He later called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “very cooperative.”

“I think those who spread these lies to undermine the opposition will pay a price,” Biden said.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who is up for re-election, said Friday that while we “must ensure” programs like the Disaster Relief Program and the Small Business Administration have adequate funding, his immediate concern is making sure residents of his state as dangers remain alive Stay in Milton’s wake.

“In the short term, everyone needs to stay alive,” said Scott, who spoke to Biden on Thursday. “We can rebuild it all. It looks terrible at the moment… You feel sorry for these families, but be careful.”

The Biden administration’s calls to increase emergency funding have led to mixed messages about exactly what funds will be needed and when.

Biden, Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas all said this week that the Pentagon and FEMA — the spearhead of the immediate rescue and recovery effort — had sufficient resources, even as disaster budgets were rapidly being depleted.

“We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of those affected,” Mayorkas told reporters in his appearance from North Carolina, a departure from a week earlier when he said FEMA would not have the resources to survive hurricane season. “Still, we will need additional funding, and we implore Congress to actually fund FEMA as needed when it returns.”

Biden, speaking after a hurricane briefing on Thursday, called on Congress to return to Washington sooner to replenish funding for a Small Business Administration program that he described as “on the verge” of running out.

“I think Congress should come back and deal with emergencies immediately,” Biden said Thursday, later clarifying that he wanted Congress to act “as quickly” as possible. A week earlier, Biden pressed the issue of the SBA program in a letter to lawmakers but stopped short of calling for Congress to return to D.C.

Officials have told CNN that the SBA’s disaster loan program needs an estimated $1.6 billion to meet the needs of about 300 applications per day to cover damaged property; approximately $5 billion to cover rental assistance for displaced residents through the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and about $10 billion to fund food assistance programs administered by the Department of Agriculture.

Lawmakers left Washington at the end of September and headed into the campaign trail to defend both parties’ competitive positions in both chambers, with narrow margins that could potentially upend control of Congress. Both Republicans and Democrats — particularly those representing the hardest-hit states in the South — are grappling with whether there would be greater value in the crucial home stretch of providing new aid or engaging more face-to-face with voters.

At the state level, political posturing is on full display as Republican leaders try to rely on the Biden administration for financial and personnel help while publicly supporting Trump.

DeSantis declined to visit Biden during his last state visit after Hurricane Helene, although Biden described DeSantis as “cooperative” with the federal government’s response and “gracious” in their interactions.

But DeSantis and Harris squarely clashed over who harbored political motives when Harris called — and DeSantis’ office declined.

“She has no role in this process,” DeSantis told CNBC. “And in fact, through all the storms I’ve dealt with under this administration, I’ve never called Florida, even though I’ve worked well with the president. She never offered any support.”

Harris tried to put DeSantis back in charge.

“First of all, over the course of this crisis, this latest crisis, I have called and spoken to Democratic and Republican governors. Called, answered the call, answered the call, had a conversation. “So it’s obvious that this is not about partisanship or politics for certain leaders – but perhaps it is for others,” Harris said on ABC’s “The View” when asked directly about DeSantis.

In more productive conversations, Biden spoke by phone with Scott, who told CNN they discussed how Congress could replenish funding for FEMA and SBA when the time comes.

“We need to make sure all of this is funded, but in the short term everyone needs to stay alive. We can rebuild it all. It looks terrible right now… you feel sorry for these families, but be careful,” Scott told CNN’s Isabel Rosales.

In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has mastered the balancing act of criticizing parts of the administration’s response — such as the limited number of counties initially approved for major disaster declarations that would ensure more aid — while welcoming what support there is the government could offer the state. Hurricane Helene saw massive power outages and falling debris in late September.

A Kemp aide told CNN that in private conversations the governor seemed “pretty happy with everything” the federal government had done to respond to Helene and the aftermath. The source said Kemp described “normal conversations with Biden, decent conversations with authorities” as he laid out what relief the state needed, while acknowledging that the federal government’s response had both benefits and limitations.

Although hectic politics marred the already difficult recovery process, Biden also gave himself high marks.

“It was a difficult start in some places, but every governor … has recognized what an incredible job this team is doing,” Biden said.

CNN’s Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.