Congress Not Likely to Return Early for Disaster Relief

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reiterated this past weekend that Congress will not return to Washington early to pass a supplemental funding measure for disaster relief. While acknowledging that Congress will need to act to provide the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with additional funds for recovery efforts, the Speaker has maintained that it will take officials “30 days or more” to assess the damage from the Hurricane Helene before lawmakers can act. That timeline for action would align more closely with the House and Senate’s currently scheduled November 12 return date. Lawmakers could attempt to pass disaster relief by voice vote during a pro forma session this month — negating the need for all lawmakers to return to Washington — but any one member in either chamber can block this.

• Situational awareness. In fiscal year (FY) 2024, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) was appropriated roughly $20 billion. The FY 2025 continuing resolution (CR) gave FEMA access to a prorated amount of last year’s $20 billion and included language giving FEMA “spend-fast authority,” which allows the agency to access as much of that $20 billion as it needs before the end of the CR. In a potential disaster relief measure, Congress will have to determine how to supplement those funds. This will depend on how quickly FEMA spends the available $20 billion, what other outstanding needs there may be from past storms, and what additional resources are needed to cover future disasters that may occur in the rest of FY 2025.