Georgia lawmakers press Biden to ‘promptly consider’ major disaster declaration request

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) led Georgia’s congressional delegation Monday in asking the White House for a disaster declaration in the state in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

In the letter, signed by Ossoff’s colleague Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and the state’s 14 representatives, the delegation noted that a disaster declaration would free up federal disaster funding in the state following the storm.

“We write to convey full support for Governor Brian Kemp’s request for an expedited major disaster declaration for the counties in the State of Georgia significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene,” the members wrote in the letter. “We encourage your team to promptly consider Governor Kemp’s request for a major disaster declaration, and we stand ready to work with you and your Administration to support these critical recover efforts in Georgia.”

The storm, which made landfall last week in rural Florida, has killed more than 100 people across multiple states, which Kemp (R) said Monday includes at least 25 Georgians. Much of the attention has focused on its impact on North Carolina, where it devastated much of the western part of the state and caused widespread flooding even in mountainous areas. The federal government has issued a disaster declaration for North Carolina.

In remarks Monday, Kemp said he and the president had spoken Sunday night, saying “He just said, hey, what do you need? And I told him, we got what we need, we’ll work through the federal process. He offered that if there’s other things we need, just to call him directly, which I appreciate.”

Biden also suggested in remarks Monday that he was considering calling Congress back for a special session after the continuing resolution passed last week to keep the government open did not include disaster funding.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.