Moskowitz, Carter Urge House to Pass Disaster Supplemental Appropriations Request

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) led a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and House Appropriations Committee leaders urging the swift consideration and passage of the Biden Administration’s recent disaster supplemental appropriations request.

“It’s been over 2 months since both Hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged the Southeast and over 3 weeks since President Biden sent his emergency supplemental request. This Congress is not acting urgently to alleviate the pain of the millions of Americans impacted by these storms,” said Rep. Moskowitz. “I introduced H.R. 8716 all the way back in June to avoid our Disaster Relief Fund from running out, but Congress has unfortunately become far too reactive instead of proactive. We have to show the American people that our government still functions and can help those impacted by disaster recover in their hour of greatest need. This isn’t a can that we can keep kicking down the road, and we cannot play political games with disaster relief.”

“Millions of Americans are waiting for Congress to provide their families with vital resources to recover from, mitigate, and rebuild after storms,” said Rep. Carter. “Natural disasters nationwide are increasing in frequency and intensity due to the climate crisis. This demands immediate federal response and robust support for affected communities. As lawmakers, it’s our job to ensure our constituents have the help they need to recover in the aftermath of disasters.”

The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is the primary funding source for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief programs. It funds “Direct Disaster Programs,” which are the Individual Assistance (IA), Public Assistance (PA), and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) programs. On August 7^th, FEMA announced that the DRF had become depleted and implemented Immediate Needs Funding (INF)—redirecting money from other programs to respond to the most urgent, lifesaving needs.

This was FEMA’s second time instituting INF in the past two years. Though the continuing resolution government funding bill replenished the DRF in late September, FEMA now anticipates that it may need to institute INF restrictions again before the end of the calendar year. While FEMA can still respond to immediate disasters, implementing INF will result in stalled payments for past disasters and grant awards, potential staff furloughs, and delays in future disaster planning measures. These delayed payments put communities at risk of future disasters by halting critical disaster planning and hazard mitigation construction projects. The agency projects a DRF deficit of over $6 billion by the end of FY 2024 without supplemental appropriations.

Additionally, in October, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced its disaster loan program ran out of funding, following increased demand from hurricanes Helene and Milton. The SBA has paused its disaster assistance loans to small businesses, homeowners, and renters until Congress approves more funding, leaving thousands of Americans waiting for Congress to approve funds so they can begin to rebuild their lives.

“The bipartisan nature of disaster relief efforts underscores the importance of rising above partisan differences in times of national crisis,” the Members wrote. “The communities grappling with the aftermath of disasters do not have the luxury of waiting for prolonged political debate. Therefore, we respectfully urge you to act swiftly to move this critical supplemental funding package forward, ensuring timely support for Americans in need.”

This letter was signed by 13 additional Members of Congress, including Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Julie Brownley (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Steve Cohen (D-TN).

Background

In September, Congressmen Moskowitz and Carter led a bipartisan letter to House leadership and House Appropriations Committee leaders urging congressional action to replenish FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). In November, they sent a bipartisan letter calling on Congress to pass a package funding a variety of crucial disaster preparedness and recovery programs across the federal government, including FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program, USDA’s disaster relief programs, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control efforts, among others.

Reps. Moskowitz and Carter are the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus, which they formed in 2023. The caucus works across the aisle to advance legislation and policies that provide efficient, equitable relief for disaster survivors and promote measures for impacted communities to recover fully. The caucus also advocates for disaster preparedness and programs that help save lives while readying America’s communities for future incidents.

Read the full letter here.

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