Exclusive: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) criticizes Biden administration's response to Hurricane Helen, but says recovery costs could be 'one of the most expensive' the US has ever seen It warns that there is.
“Congress acted appropriately because there were some pretty ominous predictions,” Johnson told Fox News Digital on Friday evening, adding that lawmakers provided about $20 billion in immediate funding for FEMA in last month's short-term federal funding bill. He pointed out that he had secured the dollar. “But so far, (President Biden, Vice President Harris and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas) have failed to do so.”
Prime Minister Johnson said he was “alarmed and disappointed” by comments from Biden officials in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane suggesting FEMA funding was too low to address Helen's anger.
Mayorkas said earlier this week that while the agency was “meeting the immediate needs” caused by the hurricane, “FEMA doesn't have the funds to get us through the season.”
Death toll rises as North Carolina reels from Helen's devastation: 'We've never seen anything like this'
Chairman Mike Johnson spoke to Fox News Digital after touring areas in Florida and Georgia affected by Hurricane Helen. (Getty Images)
Biden suggested earlier this week that he may want Congress to reconvene for an emergency session to pass additional disaster relief legislation.
“They are desperate to cover up their own terrible mistakes and mistakes, and then try to blame others and blame the situation when it is purely a lack of leadership and responsiveness. There is an attempt,” the speaker said. He noted that Mayorkas said in July that FEMA is “extremely prepared” for this year's weather crisis. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and DHS for comment.
Johnson also argued that lawmakers can't act until state and local assessments predict how much money will be needed.
“These estimates will not be completed until at least 30 days after the election, when Congress will reconvene,” he said.
Hurricane Helen: North Carolinians fight to survive as essential goods run out
Republican leaders are no strangers to hurricanes. He said his home state of Louisiana is still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Katrina, but when asked about the cost of recovery after Helen struck the Southeast, killing more than 200 people, his predictions were dire. He said it was something.
He said this could be “one of the most damaging storms this country has ever seen.”
“It's affected at least six states and there's been widespread destruction across so many areas, so I think it's going to take some time to assess,” Johnson said.
Johnson criticized President Biden's response to the storm. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“As soon as we have these numbers, Parliament will be ready to act,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed elsewhere.
“I certainly hope the government is working overtime now to get ready.”
As part of the immediate response, Prime Minister Johnson is touring the storm-hit states of Georgia and Florida and said he was prepared to visit hard-hit North Carolina in the coming days.
Criticism of FEMA's response has led some conservatives to argue that the Biden administration will divert disaster relief funds to help illegal immigrants at the border through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which was allocated about $650 million last year. They are accusing them of misappropriation.
President Trump targets Biden, Harris over federal response to hurricanes: 'Poor management'
Both the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have strongly denied any connection between disaster relief and the administration of SSP other than that it is managed by FEMA, stating that disaster relief funds support migrant housing services. He said the claim that it was used in the United States was false.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a memo Friday that “no disaster relief funds are being used to support housing or services for immigrants. Absolutely not at all.” “In fact, the funds for community assistance to migrants are appropriated by Congress directly to CBP and are solely administered by FEMA. This funding has no connection to FEMA's response or recovery efforts.”
Johnson did not give a clear answer to questions about concerns echoed on the right, but he blamed Mayorkas for mismanagement of DHS.
Homes affected by Hurricane Helen, October 2, 2024, Chimney Rock Village, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
“There's a lot of controversy about the nonsense that Mayorkas' Department of Homeland Security is engaging in, about their…dangerous open border policies and subsequent efforts to take illegal aliens and transport them across the country,” Johnson said. spoke. . “House Republicans, we have worked every day to stop this madness.
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“So what happened is that FEMA, because it's a division of DHS, was able to help Americans recover from disasters, rather than straining resources into other programs that deal with illegal aliens. It is clear that we should focus on
Asked whether DHS could have diverted disaster relief funds appropriated by Congress to SSP, Johnson said, “There are different programs that have different funding.”
He noted that House Republicans are seeking to defund the SSP program in current federal funding talks for fiscal year 2025.
“We are doing everything we can to prevent the White House and Democrats from abusing these laws and abusing taxpayer dollars,” Johnson said.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report
