Will Congress rush back to DC to pass Hurricane Helene, Milton relief funding? What to know.

WASHINGTON – Hurricane Helene had barely passed through the Southeast before Florida was battered with another devastating storm, Hurricane Milton.

The back-to-back storms have stretched some disaster relief agencies thin, prompting President Joe Biden to press Congress to “move as rapidly as they can” to pass more emergency aid, especially to help supplement loans for small business wrecked by the hurricanes.

Biden and members of Congress from both parties have argued lawmakers should come back to Washington early to approve more funding. But it doesn’t look like that will happen until after the November election. Lawmakers have long been scheduled to be on a recess and spend time in their districts in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

But emergency officials and others aren't just calling on lawmakers to approve more money. The Federal Emergency Management Authority has raised the alarm on misinformation, saying it could discourage survivors from seeking assistance.

Here’s what you need to know.

What has Congress done already?

Last month, Congress passed a deal that extended FEMA’s current level of funding, $20 billion, through Dec. 20. They also added a way for the agency to spend that money quickly if needed, granting more flexibility than usual.

However, that bill didn't include additional dollars for FEMA or the Small Business Administration, which the White House and Congressional Democrats had asked for to help with long-term cleanup efforts from other disasters, like the wildfires that devastated Maui last year.

What does FEMA need?

FEMA officials haven't directly said how much additional funding they need to address the disasters long term. However, they have said they've got enough money in the short term to help survivors. Biden said Thursday it will take "several billion dollars" to rebuild after both hurricanes.

“We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton” and the tornadoes that came from each, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday. “That said, we will need additional funds” when Congress returns.

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters Wednesday that the agency spent around $9 billion of the $20 billion approved by Congress for the rest of the year in only one week, before Milton hit Florida Wednesday night. That’s in part because it was reimbursing states after it had paused funds for disasters they faced earlier in the year.

But misinformation and conspiracy theories about FEMA resources have been prevalent, including rumors that the agency does not have enough money to help hurricane victims or that only $750 per person is available. That’s not the case, as FEMA and lawmakers from affected areas have noted.

Criswell earlier this week specifically pushed back against former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Those have included allegations that there are “no helicopters, no rescue” in North Carolina.

She warned that broader misinformation about recovery efforts are "creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government. And we have so many first responders that have been working day and night to go out and help these communities."

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What about other key resources?

Another critical source of disaster relief funds is struggling.

The Small Business Administration will run out of funding “in a matter of weeks” if Congress doesn’t act, Biden said in a letter to Congressional leaders Friday.

The agency helps businesses after disasters, but also helps individual homeowners and renters with loans to cover the cost of fixing their homes or other personal property. SBA loans “are often the largest source of federal disaster recovery funds” for individuals, Biden said.

The agency is already receiving around 3,000 applications every day from people who survived Helene, and it's likely to need around $1.6 billion more to continue operating through the rest of the year.

“We look forward to working with Congress to secure the federal resources necessary to ensure the SBA can continue funding affordable disaster loans for homeowners, renters, small businesses, and nonprofits,” SBA administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a statement. “Americans should not have to wait for critical assistance when they need it the most.”

What do lawmakers want?

Biden told reporters Thursday that Congress “should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately,” adding, “they’re going to have to come back after the election as well.”

A number of lawmakers have also argued that it's necessary to come back early, including a group of 60 Democrats, a dozen bipartisan senators and other House Republicans from states affected by Hurricane Helene.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not indicated he plans to call lawmakers back for a vote.

Speaking with reporters in North Carolina Wednesday, Johnson said FEMA has only distributed 1% of the funding granted through September's extension.

“FEMA and the administration have the resources necessary right now to address the immediate needs,” he said.

Next, state and local governments assess the damage and determine what aid they need from the federal government, Johnson argued.

“Then Congress acts,” he added. “But it will take some time, sadly and unfortunately, for those calculations to be made.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Congress rush to pass Hurricane Helene, Milton relief funding?