Lawmakers amp calls for special session to pass hurricane relief bill

WASHINGTON (CN) — As the southeastern U.S. reels from the devastating hurricane that ravaged the region last week, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle urged congressional leaders to convene a special session to approve critical disaster relief aid.

The Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida Thursday and traced a path of destruction up the eastern seaboard. The storm and its fallout damaged billions of dollars in property and have killed as many as 180 people so far — making Helene the second-deadliest U.S. hurricane since Hurricane Katrina.

The storm arrived just as members of Congress were leaving Washington for a monthlong recess ahead of November’s presidential election. Lawmakers urged their colleagues this week to reconvene on Capitol Hill as quickly as possible to pass a supplemental funding bill for hurricane recovery.

“Although the true level of devastation is still unfolding, it is clear that Congress must act to meet the unmet needs in our states and address the scope and scale of destruction experienced by our constituents,” a bipartisan coalition of Senate lawmakers wrote in a “dear colleague” letter Tuesday.

The letter was led by North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd. The Tar Heel State, particularly its rural western reaches, was hit particularly hard by Helene as it moved up the coast. Images of collapsed roadways and entire town centers washed away by floodwaters filled social media in the days following the storm.

In a Wednesday post on X, formerly Twitter, Tillis said western North Carolina would need “significant federal resources” to recover from Helene’s destruction. “We need to begin that process without delay,” he wrote.

Budd, who visited affected communities in western North Carolina Tuesday, said in a separate post that there was “no time to waste” on disaster relief.

“Let’s cut the red tape at every level — federal, state and local — and help people help their neighbors,” he said.

The group of lawmakers, which included Republican and Democratic senators from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, suggested in their letter that Congress may have to call a special session during October recess to ensure that relief funds are funneled to the states before the end of the calendar year.

As it stands, lawmakers are not scheduled to return to Washington until Nov. 12, a week after the presidential election.

Other members of Congress have similarly called for an expedited process to take up disaster aid legislation.

Texas Senator John Cornyn wrote in a statement that the destruction caused by Helene demands that lawmakers act “promptly and significantly” to approve relief funds.

And House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking on Fox News Wednesday morning, estimated that it would take as long as 30 days to assess hurricane damage across the southeast and said that Congress would “have to address” the storm’s fallout.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not return a request for comment on whether Senate leadership would consider convening a special session in October.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has said that he is considering requesting that Congress return from its recess to approve a supplemental funding package.

The White House on Wednesday greenlit a major disaster declaration for Virginia, which unlocks federal funding for an assortment of counties affected by storm damage. The administration has already made similar declarations for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida.

Biden also announced Tuesday that the Department of Defense would deploy as many as 1,000 soldiers to help distribute aid to impacted communities. The military is already assisting the Federal Emergency Management Agency with relief logistics and search and rescue.

The president and Vice President Kamala Harris plan to visit all the affected states in the coming days, the White House has said.

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