WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the White House to rapidly submit a government funding request to Congress that will fully cover costs associated with clean-up and recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton so that affected communities can begin to heal. The Senators have previously called for Congress to return to Washington from the October in-state work period to approve federal disaster relief legislation.

In a new bipartisan letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Senators Tillis and Warnock, joined by Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Ted Budd (R-NC), highlighted the heartbreak facing southern communities recovering from the destruction of these hurricanes, and requested the White House to rapidly submit a detailed supplemental government funding request to Congress that considers the full cost of recovering from these storms so Congress can quickly pass aid for American families. 

“We urgently request the White House’s Office of Management and Budget rapidly submit to Congress a detailed supplemental appropriations request that considers the full cost of recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as other devastating natural disasters, so Congress can quickly consider supplemental appropriations this year, and affected communities can begin to heal,” wrote the senators.

“Given the immense need, we respectfully ask that the Office of Management and Budget work quickly to determine the costs of recovering from Hurricane Helene and Milton and immediately submit a supplemental appropriations request to Congress that includes this full cost. Congress stands ready to ensure the federal government and our communities have what they need to recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and future natural disasters,” the senators concluded. 

Text of the full letter is available HERE. 

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