Disaster Funding Has Its Own Perils

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.

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.

From feuding over how to pay for Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to splits over recovery funds after Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012 to a G.O.P. blockade of money for Western wildfires and hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico in 2019, disaster packages have divided Republicans and left other lawmakers and the public accusing them of ignoring the plight of suffering Americans.

Even though Helene’s wrath was concentrated in Republican-dominated Southern states, it is likely that the push for aid would have left some conservatives calling for cuts to offset new spending — sparking a fight over what, if anything, needed to be pared back. The legislative push for a huge surge in funding, which will now come after the election, could have also opened the door to a measure with an eye-popping price tag at a time when Republicans are trying to assure voters that they remain the party of fiscal restraint.

It is a recipe for political trouble just weeks before a too-close-to-call battle for Congress. The situation could provide Democrats with an opportunity to paint Republicans as hypocrites for demanding federal relief for their home states and