There is a new wave of calls for Congress to return to Washington to address the growing costs of Hurricanes Helene And Milton. Several members of Congress from hurricane-ravaged states have made new calls for the U.S. House and Senate to respond to the depletion of funds from the United States Small Business Administration disaster loan fund.
“It is unacceptable for Congress to remain in recess when families and businesses across North Carolina and beyond urgently need help,” said Rep. Wally Nickel, a North Carolina Democrat for his first term. mandate.
Nickel said, “In the wake of Hurricane Helen, our communities are struggling to recover and our small businesses are in desperate need of support as they work to rebuild. Their recovery efforts are stalled without additional funding.
Congress is headed home until mid-November, as the entire House of Representatives and nearly a third of the Senate face re-election races. Congressional leaders defied calls for action on loan funds before the election.
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced Tuesday that it has exhausted funds available in its disaster loan program, which is used by businesses and homeowners affected by natural disasters. According to CBS News report Earlier this month, the agency warned lawmakers that hurricanes risked draining needed funds and urged Congress to quickly approve more money.
The agency said: “Until Congress appropriates additional funds, the SBA is suspending new loan offerings for its low-interest, long-term direct loans to disaster survivors. The agency said it would continue to urge victims to apply for loans “given congressional leaders’ assurance that additional funds will be provided when Congress returns in November.”
Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, said he urged Senate leaders to reconvene as soon as possible after assessing the damage and the needs of agencies, including the Small Business Administration. In a statement posted to social media, Scott said he spoke with the Small Business Administration to discuss the needs of his constituents.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat and former state emergency manager, told CBS News: “Thousands of applications are coming in every day for disaster loans after Hurricane Helene and Milton. season, and we have not been proactive. We should not wait until mid-November to return to Washington and resolve this problem.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Congress’ anticipated return to address funding for the Small Business Administration. “Face the Nation” Sunday, Johnson answered questions on whether Congress should return sooner to address calls to boost funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Johnson said: “Congress cannot come together and just send money based on an estimate or estimate of damage. The way that supplemental disaster funding is provided is that, you know, the state responds to actual needs. then distributed in this way. But again, remember, they already have billions, tens of billions of dollars. sent to FEMAone day before Helene hits the ground. So they have a lot of resources. »
Scott MacFarlane
