Waves from the Gulf of Mexico crash on shore as Hurricane Helene churns offshore on September 26, 2024, in St. Pete Beach. Helene ravaged much of Florida’s Gulf Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Pinellas County Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said Tuesday that she has signed on as a co-sponsor of new legislation filed by South Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz that would provide an additional $15 billion in disaster relief for Hurricane Helene.
The bill would allocate $10 billion in supplemental funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and $5 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Jared Moskowitz, then Florida’s director of emergency management, now a U.S. House member from South Florida, stands to the far right of Gov. Ron DeSantis during a press briefing at the state’s emergency response center on Sept. 5, 2019. (Governor’s Office)
President Joe Biden said Monday that he could call Congress back to Washington for an emergency session to approve new disaster relief, just days after federal lawmakers left for their preelection break after approving a short-term spending bill that keeps the government running until Dec. 20.
However, that continuing resolution failed to include the $10 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.
“My constituents in Pinellas County depend on Congress to take swift and decisive action in the wake of this unprecedented disaster caused by Hurricane Helene,” Luna said in a written statement. “I am ready and willing to return to Washington and ensure our communities receive the critical resources necessary for a rapid recovery. Americans are counting on us, and we must take immediate action to address their life-saving needs.”
Other Florida Republicans, such as U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and North Florida U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack said Monday that they agree Congress should return to Washington to ensure a full recovery for citizens in the Southeast harmed by the storm.
Moskowitz, who served as state emergency management director during Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first term, has filed bills in to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund over the past two years.
“Congress should’ve dealt with this funding shortfall before we went on recess, but now we must act swiftly to pass this supplemental,” Moskowitz said in a press release. “Emergency management can’t be a partisan issue – hurricanes don’t just hit Republican areas or Democratic areas. We have to come together to show the American people government still works.”
Reelection challenge
Luna is involved in what is considered perhaps the only competitive congressional race in Florida this year, running for re-election against Democrat Whitney Fox in Florida’s 13th District.
The district encompasses much of Pinellas County (with the exception of parts of St. Petersburg), which has been devastated by Hurricane Helene. An official with Pinellas County government said Tuesday that the county sustained more than $2 billion in residential damage, the worst in more than a century.
Luna voted against the legislation last week to keep the government running until late December, a vote Fox criticized on Monday.
“Let that sink in,” Fox said in a video statement. “As the worst storm in our lifetime was hours away, Luna couldn’t set aside her partisan games for even a moment. She voted to delay critical FEMA aid and emergency support when we would need it most. This isn’t leadership — it’s a catastrophic failure. We need a representative who will fight for us, not against us. I’ll always put Pinellas first, not politics.”