Moskowitz Joins Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency in Federal Disaster Spending

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23) recently joined colleagues from both sides of the aisle to push for more transparency in disaster spending by reintroducing their Disclosing Aid Spent to Ensure Relief (DISASTER) Act. Under the measure, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would be tasked with producing an annual disaster spending estimate on how disaster relief money appropriated by Congress is spent.

The DISASTER Act is led in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA-50) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23). It passed the chamber in 2019 by a voice vote.

“Disasters are getting larger, more widespread, and more expensive,” said Congressman Moskowitz. “It’s critical that we fully fund the preparation, response, and recovery for these disasters, but it’s also critical that Congress knows where these targeted funds are going. By passing the DISASTER Act, we can take a commonsense step towards transparency, ensuring that taxpayers and their representatives in Washington have a more comprehensive account of how federal disaster-related assistance is allocated.”

Since 1980, the United States has experienced more than 400 weather and climate disasters that exceeded $1 billion in overall damages each. The federal government, however, produces no single estimate of its spending on disaster-related assistance. By using data already gathered under the Budget Control Act, the DISASTER Act would rectify this gap by requiring a spending report that increases transparency and improves Congressional oversight of federal spending.

Moskowitz is an outspoken voice for commonsense reforms to improve federal emergency management for Florida communities. In March, he reintroduced his FEMA Independence Act with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) to remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and reinstate it as an independent, Cabinet-level agency reporting directly to the President. This reorganization would cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and help save lives, and it would refocus FEMA on its original mission as an emergency response agency.

Before entering Congress, Moskowitz served as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management from 2019-2021. In this role, Moskowitz oversaw disaster response and recovery for the DeSantis Administration for major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Category 5 Hurricane Michael.

Since coming to Congress, Moskowitz has been a leading voice for fully funding FEMA, keeping emergency response nonpartisan, and enacting commonsense reforms to bolster federal emergency management, like through his FEMA Independence Act. He has also served as co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus.

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