President Biden crosses himself after Buck Paulk of Shiloh Pecan Farm, in Ray Metropolis, Ga., leads a prayer on Oct. 3, 2024.
Mandel Ngan/AFP
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Mandel Ngan/AFP
President Biden despatched a proper letter to Congress late Friday evening saying {that a} key loans program for serving to catastrophe victims will run out of cash inside weeks at a time when People hit by Hurricane Helene want the reduction.
The Small Enterprise Administration catastrophe loans program helps renters and owners restore properties and helps companies cowl fundamental operation bills. However the company wants about $1.6 billion to maintain operating for the yr, an administration official stated, talking on situation of anonymity to debate nonpublic data.
Congress is on recess till Nov. 12. However Biden stated this system would run out of funds earlier than then.
“I warned the Congress of this potential shortfall even earlier than Hurricane Helene landed on America’s shores,” Biden stated in his letter, saying the White Home had requested for extra funding for the SBA “a number of instances over the previous a number of months” together with throughout the latest negotiations over a stop-gap funding invoice.
“The Congress should act to revive this funding,” stated Biden, who traveled to 4 states this week to survey harm.
Former President Donald Trump talks with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp after talking at a brief reduction shelter in Evans, Ga., an space impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Evan Vucci/AP
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Evan Vucci/AP
The hurricane response has turn out to be an election problem
Hurricane Helene ravaged an enormous swath of North Carolina and large components of Georgia, two vital states for the upcoming federal election.
The federal response to the catastrophe has turn out to be a difficulty within the marketing campaign. The administration goes to nice lengths to show it was each ready for the storm and has pulled out the stops to assist individuals damage by it.
Biden stated the response has been “strong and well-coordinated” and stated the Federal Emergency Administration Company has sufficient assets for now, although it’ll want extra money by the tip of the yr, when Congress will get again. How way more remains to be to be decided, he stated.
Vice President Harris visits Augusta, Ga., after Hurricane Helene on Oct. 2.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
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Carolyn Kaster/AP
Vice President Harris went to Georgia earlier this week to reassure victims and speak to neighborhood leaders, and tomorrow she heads to North Carolina to see the harm there.
Former President Donald Trump has additionally been to Georgia and North Carolina this week. On Friday evening in Fayetteville, N.C., he stated: “That is Katrina,” alluding to the lethal 2005 hurricane response botched by the federal government. “They’re doing the worst job on a hurricane that any administration has ever performed.”
Trump has repeatedly made false claims in regards to the catastrophe response, together with that FEMA is operating out of cash as a result of it has spent it on migrants, and that Biden had not been in contact with the Republican governor of Georgia.