US President Joe Biden speaks the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, DC, on August 31, 2023, thanking the team staffing the FEMA National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) throughout Hurricane Idalia and the fires in Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 31, 2023.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — The White Home is requesting a further $4 billion from Congress to bolster funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is right down to its last $3.4 billion after a string of major disasters.
Friday’s request is along with a $12 billion ask last month for FEMA’s disaster relief fund, a part of an overall $40 billion stopgap funding ask. It also comes a day after the White House asked Congress to pass a unbroken resolution to fund the federal government as budget negotiations proceed.
The White House said the extra funds are needed within the wake of fires in Hawaii and Louisiana, and flooding in Florida attributable to Hurricane Idalia and Vermont.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said this week the disaster relief fund could be exhausted in the primary half of September if it will not be replenished.
Criswell told reporters Tuesday that FEMA is prioritizing the immediate needs of individuals impacted by the Maui fires, Idalia and disasters still to come back, which implies recovery efforts from past disasters are on the backburner.
“I would like to emphasize that while immediate needs funding will ensure we will proceed to reply to disasters, It will not be a everlasting solution,” Criswell said. “Congress must work with us on the supplemental request that the administration has made on behalf of FEMA.”
President Joe Biden visited FEMA headquarters Thursday and thanked personnel for his or her work while also promising Americans affected that the federal government could be there for them as they get better.
“I’m calling on Congress to ensure that you are in a position to have the funds to have the option to proceed to indicate up and meet the needs of the American people to take care of immediate crises that we’re facing straight away, in addition to the long-term commitments we have now to make to complete the job in Maui and elsewhere,” Biden said Thursday.
Congress is currently out of session on August recess however the Senate is slated to return next week. The House returns the week after. Biden pressed lawmakers to maneuver fast on the FEMA request.
“We want this money done, we want this disaster relief request met, we want to do it in September, we won’t wait,” Biden said.
The president will travel to Florida on Saturday to evaluate the damage done by Idalia.
