Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson joined Reps. Kat Cammack (FL-03) and Neal Dunn (FL-02) in North Florida to meet with first responders and families impacted by Hurricane Helene, which devastated communities in the Southeast last week. The delegation received an aerial and on-the-ground tour of the hurricane damage, and afterwards held a roundtable with local stakeholders to discuss ongoing recovery efforts.

During remarks to local media following the tour, Speaker Johnson and Reps. Dunn and Cammack assured the victims of Hurricane Helene that help was on the way. 

“Right before we left on Wednesday, a week ago, Congress appropriated $20 billion to FEMA to cover the immediate aftermath of the storm. Of course, we knew it was headed into the coast at that time, so FEMA has the funding it needs to respond immediately. We're glad to see them on the ground here,” Speaker Johnson said. “Congress is on the ground. The representatives who represent all those districts are there with their constituents - with their people trying to help — and we will do what's necessary to make sure that Americans are taken care of.”

“I’m grateful to Speaker Johnson for visiting some of Florida’s hardest-hit communities today. Seeing the damage and destruction from Hurricane Helene firsthand and hearing directly from the folks who continue to struggle with relief from the federal government was critical, especially because these same communities also endured Hurricanes Idalia and Debby in the last 13 months. Some of those very same folks have yet to receive the disaster assistance they applied for,” Rep. Cammack said. “We’re going to continue our efforts to get our region back up and running and I’m grateful for the Speaker’s commitment to this work,”

“North Florida is tough, and the resilience of our communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene continues to inspire. Local leaders, residents, and federal officials have come together with strength and determination, showing the grit and dedication needed to rebuild,” Rep. Dunn said. “I am honored to host Speaker Johnson as we work together, and I am committed to advocating for aid and providing the support our communities need through every step of the recovery process.”

Below are excerpts from Speaker Johnson’s remarks:

On recovery and relief efforts:

“I think this has been an extraordinary effort by Florida and the state and local officials. It's just really inspiring to see how well it's been covered and how much the community is rolling up its sleeves and working together. Here in this community, it would inspire the entire country to see how they're really banded together. They're undeterred. This is a very resilient community of people. That's the best of America. We have this disaster that’s now all around the country. We have people in North Carolina still stranded in their homes in the mountains and people in Georgia and a number of other states that have been terribly affected by this storm.”

On the federal response:

“This community has been devastated the third time in a year. It's a tough thing for these communities, but they're going to rebuild again. What we'll do, the way the process works, as you know, is the state's local authorities, they band together, they assess the damage, and they send that to the federal authorities, and it's all worked through in that manner. 

“And then Congress gets a request of a certain amount to cover the losses. So, it will take some time to tabulate this storm. It's one of the biggest in our history, of course. A lot of that work is being done immediately. And I think the timing of that will probably correspond when Congress is expected to return to session right after the election. And we'll be on that. I can assure you that Congresswoman Kat Cammack and Congressman Dr. Neal Dunn are going to be on the case. And so will all of our colleagues who are affected in all these areas.”

“Keep the faith. You're going to have a lot of members of Congress, I believe this will be bipartisan, of course. This is not a partisan issue, and you'll have all the members of Congress roll up their sleeves and do what needs to be done. There will be an appropriate amount requested to Congress and we'll have to dig deep and find a way to do that. It's about prioritizing spending in federal government. We do have a big national debt and all those things, but we must take care of our immediate priorities. National security is one and disaster recovery is one, and that's something we'll take seriously.”

On the Congressional delegation’s tour of hurricane damage: 

“It's devastating. I'm from Louisiana, so we know disasters, we know hurricanes. I lived through Hugo and Andrew and Katrina and a number of disasters almost of this magnitude. But this is a big one. I mean, we have whole communities that are washed away, if you know. I mean, homes just, and businesses down to the foundation. So this is a substantial storm, substantial losses. It's going to take a while to tabulate all of it. But I just, I want to say again how inspired we are by the spirit of the people. Property can be replaced, but we're grateful that the loss of life, at least in this area, was almost none. And, you know, as you go up through the South, through the country, there were some fatalities, many fatalities, but I suppose it could have been worse in some of these states. So we're grateful for that.”