Pence told ABC News’s Jonathan Karl on Thursday that the administration’s “top priority” is dealing with Harvey’s aftermath, but noted that Trump remains hellbent on building his border wall, which the president has warned Congress to approve funding for or risk a government shutdown this month.
When pressed whether threatening to block government funding legislation is a responsible move in the wake of the devastating storm, Pence stood by his boss.
“President Trump has made it very clear that we’re going to keep our promise to the American people,” Pence said about the wall’s construction. “We’ve seen great progress in reducing illegal immigration on our southern border and enforcing our laws.”
“The president has made it clear that we’re going to stand firm and we’re going to build a wall and secure our border,” he continued. “But the priority right now for President Trump and this administration is these families.”
Over 100,000 people have registered for federal disaster assistance in the days since Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 27 trillion gallons of water on parts of Texas and Louisiana, destroying thousands of homes along the way.
If the government were to shut down, several disaster relief programs would be at risk, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program and the Disaster Relief Fund.
According to FEMA’s most recent report, issued in early August, the fund would have between $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion at the end of September, which likely won’t be nearly enough to support those affected by Harvey.
Justine Whelan, a spokeswoman for FEMA, told HuffPost on Tuesday that FEMA would do everything they can to support Harvey-affected communities, no matter what happens to government funding.
“In the event of a government shutdown, FEMA will continue to support survivors and communities affected by Hurricane Harvey,” Whelan said. “FEMA makes payments for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance, until funds are no longer available in the Disaster Relief Fund.”
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HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27: Naomi Coto carries Simba on her shoulders as they evacuate their home after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A dog is rescued from the flood waters of Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Texas, U.S., on August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: A cat sits on top of a car which is surrounded by flood water in the parking lot of an apartment complex after it was inundated with water following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around Houston. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: Shannon Danley carries a rabbit to a rescue boat after it was found floating in floodwater in an apartment complex after it was inundated with water following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around areas Houston. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A cow swims trying to get out of the Hurricane Harvey floodwaters near East Columbia, Texas August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Pets belonging to evacuees sit in a crate at the Delco Center in east Austin, Sunday, August 27, 2017. The Red Cross says, if needed, they are prepared to handle 350 people in the Delco Center. As of Sunday afternoon, a total of 24 dogs, 20 cats, and 5 birds have been registered and volunteers from the Austin Animal Center say they can handle approximately 20 more animals depending on size. Tropical Storm Harvey lashed central Texas with torrential rains on Sunday, unleashing 'catastrophic' floods after the megastorm -- the most powerful to hit the United States since 2005 -- left a deadly trail of devastation along the Gulf Coast. / AFP PHOTO / SUZANNE CORDEIRO (Photo credit should read SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman holds her dog after being rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters left�Houston�immersed and helpless,�crippling a global center of the oil industry and testing the economic resiliency of a state thats home to almost 1 in 12 U.S. workers. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: Standing water continues to impact neighborhoods in north Houston as flood waters began to recede following Hurricane Harvey August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The city of Houston is still experiencing severe flooding in some areas due to the accumulation of historic levels of rainfall, though the storm has moved to the north and east. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A man carries a dog after being rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters left�Houston�immersed and helpless,�crippling a global center of the oil industry and testing the economic resiliency of a state thats home to almost 1 in 12 U.S. workers. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: A dog stands guard over a section of the Saltgrass Estates apartments Saturday afternoon after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the complex. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27 2017: Elma Moreno comforts her dog, Simon as they are loaded on to a trucks after being evacuated from their flooded apartment. Tropical Storm Harvey is causing major flooding throughout Houston and Southeast Texas. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Destyn Scales and her dog Dexter wade through flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Texas, U.S., August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
Pets belonging to evacuees sit in a crate at the Delco Center in east Austin, Sunday, August 27, 2017. The Red Cross says, if needed, they are prepared to handle 350 people in the Delco Center. As of Sunday afternoon, a total of 24 dogs, 20 cats, and 5 birds have been registered and volunteers from the Austin Animal Center say they can handle approximately 20 more animals depending on size. Tropical Storm Harvey lashed central Texas with torrential rains on Sunday, unleashing 'catastrophic' floods after the megastorm -- the most powerful to hit the United States since 2005 -- left a deadly trail of devastation along the Gulf Coast. / AFP PHOTO / SUZANNE CORDEIRO (Photo credit should read SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images)
Flor Portilla finds her mothers cat that was stuck in a tree outside her home in East Houston, Texas after Hurricane Harvey on Tuesday, August 30, 2017. John Taggart for The Washington Post via Getty Images
A windblown seagull looks for food before the approaching Hurricane Harvey hits Corpus Christi, Texas on August 25, 2017. Hurricane Harvey will soon hit the Texas coast with forecasters saying it's possible for up to 3 feet of rain and 125 mph winds. / AFP PHOTO / MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the, 'most terrifying event in his life,' when Hurricane Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on August 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: A cat tries to find dry ground around an apartment complex after it was inundated with water following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around Houston. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A herd of cows which escaped from fencing damaged by Hurricane Harvey block a highway near Port Lavaca, Texas, August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
A man and his dog evacuate the flood waters in Lakeside Estate by boat in Houston, Texas on August 30, 2017. Monster storm Harvey made landfall again Wednesday in Louisiana, evoking painful memories of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike 12 years ago, as time was running out in Texas to find survivors in the raging floodwaters. / AFP PHOTO / Thomas B. Shea (Photo credit should read THOMAS B. SHEA/AFP/Getty Images)
Pets belonging to evacuees sit in a crate at the Delco Center in east Austin, Sunday, August 27, 2017. The Red Cross says, if needed, they are prepared to handle 350 people in the Delco Center. As of Sunday afternoon, a total of 24 dogs, 20 cats, and 5 birds have been registered and volunteers from the Austin Animal Center say they can handle approximately 20 more animals depending on size. Tropical Storm Harvey lashed central Texas with torrential rains on Sunday, unleashing 'catastrophic' floods after the megastorm -- the most powerful to hit the United States since 2005 -- left a deadly trail of devastation along the Gulf Coast. / AFP PHOTO / SUZANNE CORDEIRO (Photo credit should read SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images)
ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving the apartment that she road out Hurricane Harvey in on August 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A man carries a dog after being rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey at the Highland Glen housing development in Spring, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters left�Houston�immersed and helpless,�crippling a global center of the oil industry and testing the economic resiliency of a state thats home to almost 1 in 12 U.S. workers. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
John Tuan returns to rescue his dog who was left in his flooded house in the Clodine district after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on August 29, 2017. Floodwaters have breached a levee south of the city of Houston, officials said Tuesday, urging residents to leave the area immediately. / AFP PHOTO / MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
People unload belongings and dogs to cross a bridge to evacuate from the rising waters of Buffalo Bayou following Hurricane Harvey in a neighborhood west of Houston, Texas, U.S., August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Joshua Lopez, 9, holds puppy Cali outside of College Park High School which was set up as a temporary shelter for Hurricane Harvey evacuaees in The Woodlands, Texas on August 30, 2017. The school which was set up as a shelter on Monday for those affected by the storm, is now preparing to re-open its door to students next week. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 28: People make their way out of a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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