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guest: one of the biggest newsrooms in the country. we are part of politico. we cover policy regulations, appropriations, whatever it may be. host: how were we as far as the money needed for federal disaster relief? guest: money was quickly running out. congress appropriated $50,000, there was a backlog already. with multiple disasters happening and that, the money was on the verge of running out. it was pretty desperate for more funding. host: could you ask plane how that works to our viewers? guest: we had to implement what we call immediate needs funding. they had been providing states money to deal with disasters. that money was close to running out.

, this allows them to withhold funding so they could deal with measures and meant they had to put on hold money for rebuilding efforts. what that means is they are not able to fund these continual recovery projects in states. it leaves communities waiting for that money to come through. host: now that the aftermath of helene is there, what is it like now? guest: you are seeing devastating flooding, over 100 deaths at this point. congress needs to provide supplemental funding at the end of the year. we just saw this last week. it allows them to continue from current levels to help fund

ongoing recovery efforts. they said that this money will run out by january. they will need funding again as soon as january. there is a shortfall now, there will be a shortfall at the end of the year. host: short-term funding package passes, no extra money, why did that happen? guest: disaster relief tends to be a nonpartisan issue. any of the funding on a funding package tends to be more controversial. especially coming down to the government funding deadline. some lawmakers oppose the idea of additional funding and over complicates matters.

it turns out that in order to get the government funding past and prevents the shutdown, they will have as little funding as possible. host: let's talk about federal reserve -- disaster relief funds , if you live in the eastern time zones, (202) 748-8000. mountain pacific (202) 748-8001. you can always text us your questions at (202) 748-8003. one of the senators on the senate floor talking about what you were talking about, play a little bit about what you want. >> so many people on maui, texas, vermont, california, iowa , florida, 20 states total unfortunately rising, the federal government has not come

to their aid yet. they have lost loved ones, homes, businesses, livelihoods, all they want his help and a little bit of hope to get their lives back to something close to normal. what are we doing as a congress if we can't reverse help to our fellow americans when disaster strikes? when we return in november disaster aid has to be the top priority of the united states congress. there is no excuse not to do this. host: he says top priority but will congress make it a top priority? guest: i would have said no or it would have been a big challenge. seeing the devastation from the

hurricane over the weekend, the destroyed highways, bridges, they said over 100 people dead, congress will be making it a priority, especially before the election will be a really bad look. host: will congress honor that request? guest: almost one year ago they requested $24 billion for disaster relief. congress has not done anything on that. . reiterating to congress that i made this request several months ago. there are additional needs. i think we will see action on that. it will be independent supplemental, part of a broader spending package, we will see congress take some of this in the past few months.

host: the numbers, (202) 748-8000 for the eastern and central time zones. (202) 748-8001 for the mountain and pacific. if you are in a state impacted by national -- natural disasters that is (202) 748-8002. we will take those questions in a moment. with an update on how hard the state of florida has been hit, the republican of florida serves as the third district, thanks for giving us your time. guest: thanks. host: could you remind viewers, what is it cover? guest: i know people refer to it as the big bend area. from the florida georgia line down to ocala to about an hour north of orlando, jacksonville, and out to the gulf coast. think about the area where you have dixie co., some people call

it the forgotten coast. it is a huge part of agricultural area, i consider it to be old florida. host: as far as the impact of helene, how did your district fair? guest: this is the third storm in 13 months. our area has seen direct hits on our district in each of those storms. to say it is catastrophic is an understatement. particularly in the coast. one of our commies, hamilton county shares a border with the georgia line. they saw winds of nearly 100 mile per hour. inland as far as on the coast. it is really devastating. our friends to the north and the carolinas also sustained

tremendous damage from hurricane helene. host: how much was moved into the state before the storm and what has been their response so far? guest: when it comes to emergencies, this is not a partisan issue. we have a robust response. immediately we were looking for the declaration. a little thin in terms of what it was covering. thankfully we were able to work with our state partners and get that in place. these storms are unpredictable and could change the trajectory significantly. there were quite a few assets in place. we were better prepared to deal with the aftermath. even still, this is one of the

larger storms, category four. we saw 18 foot storm surge. nothing could truly prepare you for that type of devastation. host: what is the process of recovery from the federal level and how the federal government response? guest: that was in place, it wasn't as robust as we would like. that was something we were going back and forth with the administration. immediately in the aftermath you see the federal government authorized category a and b, the debris removal, also debris such

as broken pivots, that is really critical to get power and utilities to the area. it then comes immediately after. we see these storms time and time again. now, the recovery process, debris removal is paramount. working with our state partners, after speaking with the administrator, hurry and i chatted about what that would look like in terms of the state taking point on this housing initiative. there's a lot of nonprofit partners, red cross, rubicon, so many different players that want to help get recovery initiated.

they will step up and start looking at sustainable measures. it's not just every storm coming through, there are ways we could be smart about infrastructure moving forward. in the short term it's about getting power back on, people in homes that are safe and making sure we are getting people the help they need. host: one of the stories in the papers is how insurance picks up, what are your concerns about the insurance companies to do so? guest: no surprise them florida we have been struggling with rising cost of insurance and providers leaving the state. insurance is the first step people are taking photos and submitting to their insurance companies. these areas are not predominantly -- places like the

-- a lot of primary residence have lived there for 40 or 50 years and the homes are not insured. you have a tremendous effort from the community to help you build fema has resources to help these folks. for sure, insurance companies are the ship -- the first ones that people should apply to. there are insurance companies out there that can help those who are not insured, but it is frustrating that after so many times of dealing with it, there is always some sort of delay or hick up and when it comes to events like this, people cannot afford to wait. host: we've been talking about the short-term funding that was passed. when you come back to congress, what is your expectation that additional money will be added in november? guest: i feel exceptionally confident. my district has taken three storms in 13 months and i can't tell you how frustrated we have

been in florida with no movement on the disaster relief package that we passed out of the house that has been sitting in the senate with no action. that is tremendously frustrating because, as i said, we have been waiting through three hurricanes to be recognized in terms of that disaster relief fund. i think we will need another supplemental on top of this. it's not just enough to give the government going but you are not meeting the needs of where the country is currently at, which is why we need to go through the appropriations process and be thoughtful and strategic about where we are going with a blank check or rubberstamp. there are people out there. my fear is that it turns into a political football. there is no room for politics when it comes to disasters and

emergencies. host: cammack, -- representative cammack, the best to you and your residence as you recover. guest: appreciate it. thank you. host: before we take calls, a little assessment on what she had to say? guest: as expected, sounds like she feels confident congress will pass some kind of supplemental package before the end of the year and i think that is what a lot of people are expecting. she mentioned disaster relief in the house. i think she was referring to a discharge petition built. providing tax relief to disaster victims, it would not provide additional funding for female or other agencies. host: why go the tax relief route? guest: i think it's a way for the individual victims to think

victims can help themselves. it will help victims when they are facing these disasters, having to rebuild, it provides relief to individuals and that is better than nothing. host: callers, appreciate your patience. call in if you want to ask our guest questions about this relief. (202) 748-8000 for eastern and central time zones, (202) 748-8001 mountain and pacific. if you are affected by a natural disaster, (202) 748-8002. beverly, thank you for waiting. go ahead. caller: thank you for having me. my question is -- i have relatives that are -- i live in california but i have relatives in the states that were impacted by helene and hurricanes prior to that.

getting our federal government to help them. how can our federal government send millions of dollars, you know, to other countries, but how do we help the american people right here? with these disasters, is there something we can do is the american public? have the american government give them what's necessary. giving them what they need to really rebuild their lives. host: beverly, california. guest: i think your frustration is felt by a lot of people, the inaction so far. i know a lot of lawmakers are frustrated as well. i talked to appropriators last week.

they didn't happen. we will have to wait and see what congress does. that frustration is felt near and far. host: brenda, washington state, go ahead. caller: there was a caller in front of me, i don't know if she spoke on what i was going to speak on. first i want to touch on the congresswoman who said this should not be a political football. many republicans refused to offer aid to do that victims in new york when that happened. what i wanted to comment on was, you see them coming with such good media play, and thankfully they are all right with just really heavy rain. what frustrates me is the wildfires that happened in my state. in california.

a slow burn -- i don't mean that, that's mean -- but it just happens. everyone is like, who cares. wildfires are horrific, too. as far as insurance, it's really a racket. i could go at length about insurance on multiple levels. insurance, we are in an earthquake lane. we paid through the nose for earthquake insurance, but we have it. i realize that some cannot afford it, but you know, just please address the fact that people kind of pick and choose their disasters and it can be very frustrating. thanks. host: thank you guest: for the call. guest:wildfires are a major issue as well. i used to work in northern california where that was front and center. i'm very sympathetic to the dangers of wildfires. i think that hurricanes do get a lot of play because of how violent they are.

it seems there's another storm developing in the caribbean right now, i'm sure that we will see more of that. there are also more unconventional disasters that congress has been trying to find funding for, from the collapse of the baltimore bridge earlier this year to the derailment of the freight train in east palestine, ohio last year. these things are all making their way through congress as a part of the discussion on disaster relief. determining whether or not congress will act by the end of the year, they are all a part of the discussion. lawmakers are angling to receive funding for that as well. host: what is the status of the program considering the flux you talked about? guest: it's one of the most beleaguered disaster programs in the federal government, consistently debt. lawmakers, senators, and house members are consistently pushing for reforms, however it is

always some kind of friction there. in the fact -- the past few years, they haven't come together and the cr from the last week extended that the ration through december. so, that what's -- that will stay intact for a few months. host: shelby lives in tallahassee, florida. shelby, good morning. caller: thank you so much for c-span. good morning. one of the things is the disaster, the national disaster playing up that intersectional point that i'm making. i have her -- relatives, as a family, with no insurance, we have had to come together because of this cap, not because of fema, but because of florida. i noticed that the congresswoman from gainesville, lake city, ocala, my family there has been without the insurance because we

gave $3 billion for private insurance to buy the insurance component. re-and then you have citizen insurance with millions. this is a state-level issue that we have not given the risk to those who want to live on beach and marshlands. tallahassee, for days tallahassee was considered in the cone. it went into the southeast. taylor, madison, ocala, what is it, the other beach areas are down there. this is an issue that has to do with the state. we have not created, first of all the state, or state legislatures have been gerrymandered to create a

problem for the people, they have given $3 billion in reinsurance to private insurers. the subcommittees last night named 90% of the adjusters, report was reduced. host: shelby, thank you so much. guest: the insurance issue is real for a lot of people around the country. disaster insurance is at a pivotal point, policies are becoming exorbitantly expensive. we have done a number of stories on the fact that a lot of the insurance payouts go to some of the wealthiest districts and wealthiest homeowners in the country. i know that there is movement for reform, changes and improvement on the insurance issues. host: does the federal government backstop anything on the state level? guest: i'm not sure. host: when it comes to the states itself, that's -- what is

the recourse for those without insurance? guest: as far as? host: insurance companies moving out of the state, what happens to those who still need insurance? guest: people will become increasingly dependent on federal aid, something congress will have to bolster in the future and we will see how that plays out. host: bobby, west virginia, you are next up, hi. caller: good morning. i'm on vacation, what a vacation, and eastern tennessee. this is not political as a thing , with all the disasters going on, from florida all the way up.

i do not think that congress should be out, because of the politics and everything. this is a human rights issue. i think that they should be calling an emergency session, getting back there to d.c., you can take care of business. i'm going to tell you, if you are suffering, a lot of people's livelihoods, their lives have been destroyed. we have lost several people during this disaster and everything. this is an american issue, not a political issue. you know? people's lives are important. you know, there livelihoods are important. it's going to be years and years and years in the making for somebody.

it's money, money, money, they need to get off thereabouts and get back to d.c.. guest: a lot of people feel that frustration. congress left town last week as the hurricane barreled towards florida. [speaking another language] continuing resolutions for disaster funding didn't pass knowing that the hurricane was funding. they went back to their district to campaign before the election. the optics of that are really troubling for a lot of people. understandably so. however, the fema administrator did say this week that with the continuing resolution passed, fema has the resources they need to deal with staffing and funding that they need to provide safety for the recovery. at least for this disaster, it seems that fema is well-equipped, but you are right, these disasters will continue coming and long-term solutions are needed. host: here's the femur direct -- fema director administrator from last week.

[video clip] >> we have the resources needed for this event. everyone is aware that he went into immediate needs funding as the funding ran low. the reason we do that is to make sure that we have enough money for an event like this. we have exactly what we need in there are no limitations in terms of this disaster. as we continue to go through recovery for these disasters, it takes personnel and we will continue to work through with the states what they need and how we can adjudicate the resources, but we are seeing an increase with strain on the staff who have been more than deployed for longer amounts of time helping these communities to recover. host: anything to add? guest: yes, you can see that the administrator feels confident that they will have the resources they need for this go around, but as she alluded to, more sustainable solutions are

needed. a lot of people are itching to see what congress does in the next few months and how much disaster funding they will be able to appropriate to try to get ahead of the shortfalls coming in the future. host: your story from back in june, headwinds in the effort to overhaul disaster relief. what was going on at that time? guest: lawmakers anticipating the situation we are in now. they concluded by saying that we are dealing with disasters and have dealt with disasters and we will have to deal with disasters and we need the money now to get ahead of the issue. that story was about the kind of movement in congress at the time to try to secure disaster funding with the headwinds that they are facing in that push. a lot of that has to do with jurisdictional battles within committees and some lawmakers preferring to wait until after disasters happen to secure that funding to get a real tally of who needs funding, where, and how much, so there are a lot of

philosophical differences there. host: let's hear from joe in north carolina. good morning. guest: good morning. this is a money problem. a problem of who has whose hand in whose pocket. down where i live, they don't have any sewer systems. they are putting in about 6000 homes, brand-new homes that don't have water systems. the roads that collapsed over here, the idiots did not go ahead and run the drains right and put them underneath the damn streets. this is all money where they say no, we can go ahead and build a home and run the drainage line into the wetlands that goes into the wall, river. this is all money, money, money. they could change it if they wanted to. host: ok. that is joe in north carolina

talking about infrastructure problems in areas prone to natural disaster. guest: yeah i think a lot of people resonate with that sentiment. a lot of money is still being doled out from 2020 one and the bipartisan infrastructure law. more funding for resilience projects, climate projects, clean energy projects aimed at slowing down disasters or at least helping communities mitigate. but that funding has been slow to come out the door and a lot of communities are still waiting for that funding to reach them and be able to implement the project. host: is the issue around climate change when you talk about these disasters again and again? guest: i think so. people are getting the message that climate change is making disasters more frequent and more extreme, that sitting home. unfortunately, it takes disasters like these sometimes to get congress to act.

it shouldn't necessarily be that way, but a lot of times we see the action after disasters like this and hopefully a lot of these reeling communities, on the front lines of future disasters we will see that they get what they been waiting for. host: brian, massachusetts, go ahead. caller: thank you for having me on, pedro. i have family members who, who have a small operation down in reddick. i wish i had been able to talk to the representative there. also, i have personally some timber operations over in the panhandle. i was wondering if, if fema is doing agricultural and forestry assistance for people affected by these, by these natural disasters and how does that

relate to the agricultural bill? probably not your expertise, but i'd like to hear what he has to say about assistance for those kinds of things. thank you very much. guest: i don't know if that would fall under fema but there are agencies that distribute disaster funding with their own accounts. the supplemental funding requests issued by the white house last year include several billion dollars for a number of different federal agencies to distribute their disaster funds. some of that goes to agricultural needs, farming and ranching needs. coastal restoration, whatever it might be. if and when congress approves that funding, you know, those accounts will be shored up again and yes there are federal agencies waiting to dole out that money. in the farm bill they have conservation provisions. not sure about disaster provisions, but that will be a part of the session. host: the vice president is

planning to visit when she can. what are you watching for when it comes to natural disasters in the recovery effort? guest: it will be interesting to see what kinds of pressure they may put on congress to put on -- to solve the disaster funding shortfall. you know, a lot of people have kind of resented the political football that disaster funding has become, as we heard some callers mention. we will see how and to what degree it can become a bipartisan issue in the run up to the election. host: our guests work can be found at governor roy cooper holds a briefing on hurric ian. the storm has killed over a hundred people acrs six states

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