Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) recently announced that he has secured $314 million in federal funding for outstanding payments owed to Georgia counties and entities in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
The aid package was released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following months of pressure from Sen. Raphael Warnock to obtain for Georgia communities, particularly in rural parts of the state. The aid was promised following Hurricane Helene’s destruction.
This update follows recent statements from the Senator, who claimed that the Trump Administration still owes Georgians $600 million in recovery aid.
After over a year of delays, the Trump admin has STILL not released $600 million+ in disaster funds to Georgia counties rebuilding from Hurricane Helene.
There is NO excuse for this.
I'm calling on the admin to release these funds immediately.
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) December 10, 2025
Warnock also published a report in September, alleging that $500 million in aid packages had been withheld, but that seems to have been an underestimation.
I released a report exposing $500 million in delayed payments months ago. The bills are piling up and that number has only grown. They're abandoning Georgians and crippling local economies.
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) December 10, 2025
Despite bipartisan support for the release of this aid, bureaucratic stalling and uncertainty within the Trump administration prevented it from occurring. Warnock expressed pride in securing this critical aid and commented on the bipartisan nature of this issue.
“Hurricanes and natural disasters are not political; they do not care if you voted red or blue, and Georgia counties and cities went right to work recovering from Helene’s destruction with the understanding the federal government would fulfill its promises and pay their share,” Warnock stated. “It should not have gotten to this point, and there is still more work to be done.”
“I will continue fighting until Georgia’s communities, particularly in rural Georgia, get every cent they are owed,” he concluded.
