Speaker Mike Johnson won't let Congress fund hurricane recovery efforts until after the election.

With the Federal Emergency Management Agency reeling from major staffing and funding shortages amid the impact of Hurricane Helene, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) refused on Sunday to commit to reconvening the House before Election Day to aid recovery efforts. In response to a letter from President Biden urging congressional leaders back to replenish federal disaster loan funding, Johnson said during a Fox News Sunday interview that he’d only do so after the election—all but ensuring the funds will run out.

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  • originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee
    0·
    1 month ago

    Really, this is win win for the GOP. If Biden finds a way to fund disaster recovery they can claim all this was posturing. If he doesn’t they can say the government is ineffective and hates the gop. Either way they will say the money ran out because of refugees or hunter bidens laptop or Kamala’s addiction to thin mints or some insane shit.

    • frezik@midwest.social
      0·
      1 month ago

      The President can call a special session of Congress. Now, they can gavel straight out if they like, but when shit hits the fan, that’s going to put the media narrative against them.

      I’d like to step back for a moment and remember something: people are going to be hurt by this in just the next couple of days. I detest the fact that we have to play these games with media narrative. I also don’t really like making fun of GOP politicians who are actively working against helping their own constituents. But apparently, that’s what we have to do to get people in charge who aren’t goddamn fucking children.

      • originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee
        0·
        1 month ago

        But you’re playing a game they are not playing. The GOP no longer believes in consensus based governance. They don’t believe that convincing people through argument is important. Engaging them on those terms will fail because they don’t care and their constituents don’t either.

        Of course we should try to help people regardless but no matter what we do the GOP will oppose it, usually by lying.

        • ochi_chernye@startrek.website
          0·
          1 month ago

          I think you’re right. But it’s also apparently true that there exists a critical mass of uninformed fucking dipshits flibbertigibbets, who could be swayed by this kind of thing. The true believers are unreachable, but so much political theatre is directed at that segment of the population that just can’t be bothered to assemble more than one or two data points at a time.