“When congressional leaders decided not to call lawmakers back from the campaign trail for an emergency session to fund relief and rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Helene, they cited practical considerations,” the New York Times reports.
“Speaker Mike Johnson and others said the government had sufficient funds to get through the critical next few weeks and receive a definitive assessment of need before dealing with the spending issues after Nov.
5.”“But there was another good reason to hold off: Congressional struggles over disaster funding, particularly with an election right around the corner, can be political disasters of their own.”