House Speaker Mike Johnson said it would be “premature” to call Congress back from its break to pass hurricane aid for those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

There have been calls for Congress to come back into session to pass additional funding for the storm victims, but Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said it “can wait.”

“What happens after every storm is that the states have to assess and calculate the actual needs, and then they submit to Congress that request. As soon as that is done, Congress will meet and, in bipartisan fashion, we will address those needs. We’ll provide the additional resources,” he said on the CBS Sunday talk show “Face the Nation.”

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“But it would be premature to call everyone back now, because this – these storms are so large in their scope and magnitude, it’s going to take a little bit of time to make those calculations,” he said.

He said the additional funds “can wait” because the day before Helene made landfall, Congress appropriated $20 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency so it could address “immediate needs.”

Congress isn’t set to come back until after Election Day.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Congress needs to act swiftly in case of further storms. Hurricane season doesn’t typically end until November.

“We need Congress to act swiftly to fund FEMA and specifically its Disaster Relief Fund, because hurricane season is not over, and also seasons are less and less important now, given the effects of climate change and the increasing gravity and frequency of extreme weather events,” he said.