‘FEMA has distributed 2 percent of the over $20 billion in disaster relief funding Congress provided,’ said Johnson.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) again rebuffed claims on Oct. 13 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needed more funding to support victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Johnson said in a social media post on Sunday that FEMA had distributed only 2 percent of the more than $20 billion in disaster relief funding Congress had already provided the agency.
“They need to do their job and get this assistance to the people in need,” Johnson wrote in his post on X. “Once the total calculations are completed, Congress will address any additional needs.”
After making landfall in late September, Helene caused widespread damage across the South, particularly in western North Carolina. Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane on Oct. 9, and officials are still surveying the extent of the damage.
Johnson’s comments differ from those of President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who have suggested in recent weeks that the agency needs more money.
Mayorkas said in a White House press briefing on Oct. 10 that FEMA did have enough money to assist with