1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I am urging you to increase critical funding for disaster relief programs. Communities are struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton is right on its heels. According to weather reports, Hurricane Milton—with storm surges that are expected to be as high as 15 feet—has the capacity to be one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in history. The need for disaster relief will only increase as we continue to deal with the impacts of the climate catastrophe. There will be much more to do to help communities rebuild―families need access to safe and affordable housing, quality health care, and investments that prioritize equity including HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which provides flexible grants to help cities, counties, and states recover from disasters and rebuild affordable housing and other infrastructure after a disaster, especially in low-income areas. We must address the climate crisis―and that can include eliminating tax breaks for fossil fuel companies when Congress takes up tax legislation next year, which would also increase revenue by almost $110 billion over 10 years to make much-needed investments. Helping communities recover is a critical role of the federal government. FEMA is carrying out its responsibilities now, but will need more funds soon. We know that the communities that will be most impacted by hurricanes and natural disasters include communities of color, people with disabilities, and rural and low-income communities. We cannot sacrifice the most vulnerable in our society due to partisan squabbling or outright lies about what FEMA disaster relief funding is being used for. Please work with your colleagues to increase disaster relief funding in FY 2025 appropriations and speak out to refute the false assertions that FEMA disaster relief funds are being diverted to other purposes.