Georgia’s two U.S. senators have joined colleagues in five other Southeastern states ravaged by Hurricane Helene to ask for quick passage of a federal disaster relief package.
Congress went into recess last week after passing a stopgap federal funding bill to cover three months of spending. While some Republicans – including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson – have argued the bill should be sufficient, Democrats and Republicans from the stricken states say more is needed. Signatories to the letter includes Georgia Democratic U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Rafael Warnock plus Republicans Thom Tillis and Ted Budd of North Carolina, Republicans Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida, Republicans Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia.
Ultimately, total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene will be in the tens of billons of dollars. The funding issues may require Congress to come back in October to ensure enough time to enact legislation before the end of this calendar year.
