Prevent Stricter Federal Disaster Rules From Cutting Off Communities in Need

As your constituent, I urge you to preserve the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) responsibility to help Americans when disasters overwhelm state and local resources. Congress should prevent the Trump administration from shifting federal disaster responsibilities and costs onto states and leaving survivors with less help. FEDERAL HELP MUST REMAIN AVAILABLE POLITICO reported on October 16 that an internal FEMA memo directs the agency to reduce state and local reliance on federal aid and apply that priority to its budget and operations. Congress should establish safeguards before those instructions become cuts in federal assistance. States already lead many disaster-response efforts. A hurricane, flood, or wildfire can destroy homes, hospitals, roads, and the local tax base at the same time. Federal disaster assistance spreads the cost of catastrophic losses across the country instead of leaving devastated communities to bear them alone. Shifting the burden does not eliminate the cost. It leaves survivors facing less help, slower recovery, or higher state and local taxes. Stronger state preparedness and faster aid approvals are worthwhile, but even a well-prepared state can face losses beyond its resources. A family’s chance to recover should not depend on how much its state can afford. CONGRESS MUST PRESERVE FEDERAL DISASTER HELP Under 6 U.S.C. § 316, the Homeland Security secretary may not substantially reduce FEMA’s responsibilities or its capacity to carry them out without specific authorization in law. Congress should ensure that this protection cannot be undermined through staffing cuts, restrictive aid rules, or administrative delays. Please act now, starting with a binding funding restriction: (1) BLOCK UNAUTHORIZED TRANSFERS. Add language to the next funding law barring the use of federal funds to shift FEMA’s federal responsibilities to states or materially reduce its disaster capabilities without further legislation. (2) PROTECT DISASTER AID. Preserve the federal share of disaster costs. Prevent substantially tighter eligibility rules or new requirements that force states to pay more before federal help becomes available. (3) KEEP FEMA READY. Provide adequate disaster and operating funds, protect essential staffing and response capabilities, and prevent unlawful withholding of disaster funds. (4) REQUIRE PROMPT DECISIONS. Establish deadlines for decisions on state requests for federal disaster assistance, written reasons for denials or delays, and a fair process to reconsider denials. (5) REQUEST AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION. Ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the legality of FEMA’s plans, costs shifted to states and survivors, and effects on disaster response. Seek early findings to guide action. Congressional committees should obtain the memo and implementation plans and hold public hearings. Pursue protective legislation while the investigation proceeds. Thank you.