Just a day before Hurricane Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz of the Sunshine State joined several Republicans in voting against an emergency measure that would continue funding the government and provide billions of dollars in additional disaster relief.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a continuing resolution that extends funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through Dec. 20, allowing the agency to access those funds more quickly. But FEMA is facing a multibillion-dollar deficit even after imposing new spending restrictions last month — waiving some ongoing disaster recovery-related reconstruction projects to be better financially equipped to meet immediate needs to cover impending disasters.

Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday evening near Perry, Florida, in the Big Bend region of the state as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. The deadly storm caused catastrophic flooding, devastating winds and life-threatening storm surges – across multiple states. More than 100 people died, the Associated Press reported. Damage from the storm is expected to cost billions.

The House vote came as experts warned of increasing severity of natural disasters, including stronger hurricanes, prolonged droughts and devastating wildfires. Several U.S. states are still recovering from disasters that caused damage in past seasons, including the devastating wildfire that devastated Maui, Hawaii, last year.

According to Politico, FEMA is quickly running out of money to contain the damage, even as it imposes the new restrictions.

This is not the first time Gaetz has voted against a continuing resolution providing disaster relief funding. He also did so in 2022, just days after Hurricane Ian devastated Florida. Despite his recent vote, Gaetz promised that Floridians would continue to receive assistance for the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, according to a report from ABC 3 Newsweek to the ABC report.

“We were able to work in a bipartisan manner in the Florida delegation to get President (Joe) Biden to issue a national state of emergency that would release federal funds,” Gaetz said in the report. “And the Office of Management and Budget has the opportunity to shift some operating resources to ensure initial resources, particularly for debris removal, are met.”

“The checks will still come. The money will still be there,” he added. “There is a lot of work to do in Congress. And then we have to resupply. But people shouldn’t worry that we won’t be able to provide things like individual assistance and support to our local governments.”

Gaetz shared a snippet of the interview on his profile on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, two days after he voted against the continuing resolution that would provide more funding to FEMA.

“I worked with Florida’s congressional delegation to secure federal funding for Hurricane Helene recovery,” Gaetz wrote. “There will be resources and support for debris removal, individual assistance and our local governments.”