President Biden makes a sign of the cross after Buck Polk of Shiloh Pecan Farm leads in prayer on October 3, 2024 in Ray City, Georgia. Mandel Gunn/AFP Hide caption
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President Biden sent a formal letter to Congress late Friday night, saying that at a time when Americans affected by Hurricane Helen are in need of relief, funding for a major loan program to assist disaster victims will be depleted for several weeks. He said it would run out within a short time.
The Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loan Program helps renters and homeowners repair their properties and helps businesses cover basic operating expenses. But the agency needs about $1.6 billion to continue operating annually, said a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private information.
Congress is in recess until Nov. 12, but Biden has said the program will be defunded by then.
“I warned Congress about this potential shortage even before Hurricane Helen made landfall in the United States,” Biden said in the letter, adding that the White House “has been warning Congress of this potential shortage since before Hurricane Helen made landfall in the United States.” “Many times over the past few months,” he said, he has asked the SBA for additional funding. Negotiations over stopgap funding bill.
“Congress must act to restore this funding,” said Biden, who visited four states this week to assess the damage.
Former President Donald Trump spoke at a temporary relief shelter in Evans, Georgia, affected by Hurricane Helen, and then met with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Evan Vucci/AP Hide Caption
Toggle caption Evan Vucci/AP
The response to the hurricane became an issue in the election.
Hurricane Helen hit large swaths of North Carolina and much of Georgia, two states critical to the upcoming federal election.
The federal government’s response to disasters has become a campaign issue. The administration is making every effort to demonstrate that it has done everything in its power to prepare for the storm and help those hurt by the storm.
Biden said the response is “strong and well-coordinated,” and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has sufficient resources for now, but will need more funding by the end of the year when Congress reconvenes. He said he was deaf. How much more there will be remains to be seen, he said.
Vice President Harris visits Augusta, Georgia on October 2 after Hurricane Helen Carolyn Custer/AP Hide caption
Toggle caption Carolyn Custer/AP
Vice President Harris traveled to Georgia earlier this week to reassure victims and speak with community leaders, before heading to North Carolina tomorrow to inspect the damage.
Former President Donald Trump also visited Georgia and North Carolina this week. “This is Katrina,” he said Friday night in Fayetteville, North Carolina, alluding to the government’s failed response to the deadly 2005 hurricane. “They’re doing the worst job on hurricanes that any government has ever done.”
President Trump has repeatedly made false claims about the disaster response, including that FEMA is underfunded due to spending on migrants and that Biden has not been in touch with Georgia’s Republican governor.
