SC Sen. Graham, Scott want Congress to reconvene post-Helene. When will it vote on aid?

Despite calls from South Carolina’s U.S. Senators for Congress to return and pass additional funding for their state affected by Hurricane Helene, the U.S. Speaker of the House said any action will wait until November.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham wants Congress to reconvene and pass a relief package for those affected by Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of South Carolina and North Carolina. So has U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. As do President Joe Biden and numerous Democratic lawmakers.

But last week, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said that won’t happen.

Graham told reporters during a press briefing Oct. 3 that $150 billion would “probably” be needed, and that “President Biden sort of agreed with that.” As of Wednesday, Graham’s team didn’t have an update on total damage, but said it was extensive.

Graham’s spokesperson said the government-funding legislation Congress passed at the end of September accounted for some storm damage, but Graham still says Congress should return and pass emergency funding for disaster relief efforts.

Congress is out of session until Nov. 12, following the presidential election, after narrowly passing a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown.

South Carolina’s emergency management division is working with federal agencies to assess the damage, Graham’s spokesperson wrote, saying the agency is, “an incredible asset to the state because they work directly with federal stakeholders to communicate what South Carolina needs most.”

Graham joined Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to announce “Team South Carolina days,” where federal, state and local organizations show to connect people with resources and information.

On Thursday, Biden said lawmakers should return to Capitol Hill “immediately,” echoing the message from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in South Carolina and other affected states.

Sixty-three House Democrats signed a letter urging Johnson to call Congress back into session on Oct. 8. South Carolina’s lone House Democrat, James Clyburn, was not on the list.

Clyburn’s office said he was unable to join the letter because the deadline already passed, but the Congressman is “100% aligned.”

“I am fully supportive of President Biden’s calls to reconvene Congress and pass the funding necessary to help rebuild our communities impacted by Hurricane Helene,” Clyburn’s office wrote from him in an email. “People and their communities need and deserve our help. I hope that Speaker Johnson and my colleagues across the aisle heed our calls and put the needs of the American people first.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman urged Congress to replenish the disaster loan program for impacted small businesses, homeowners, renters and non-profits, warning the funds may become depleted before the end of October.

Scott’s team said hurricane relief efforts will be first on the agenda when Congress returns in November. His team stressed the importance of “applying for individual assistance through FEMA, locations of FEMA Disaster Centers and SBA Business Recovery Centers” for South Carolinians needing help.

This story was originally published October 15, 2024 at 1:16 PM.