Require FEMA To Act Swiftly In Declared Disasters

Replace Acting Administrator Richardson With Qualified Emergency Leadership Act to replace Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson and direct DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to rescind her personal approval rule above $100,000. FEMA must move at a moment’s notice to save lives and protect communities. A national emergency agency cannot be slowed by weak leadership or avoidable bottlenecks. Hold Richardson Accountable For Failures During The Texas Floods The July 2025 Texas Hill Country floods killed at least 135 people and devastated towns. In the first hours, FEMA staff reported they could not reach the acting administrator for nearly 24 hours, leaving deployment decisions stalled. Search and Rescue teams arrived more than 72 hours after the flooding began, well past the lifesaving window. On July 7, FEMA answered only about 16 percent of calls to its disaster line, with nearly two-thirds going unanswered in the days following. Richardson later called the response “a model,” which victims and responders dispute. End Secretary Noem’s Personal Approval Rule That Delayed Critical Contracts Secretary Noem’s requirement to personally approve FEMA expenditures above $100,000 created a choke point. Contracts for shelter, supplies, and debris removal waited on one signature while victims suffered. Senators Patty Murray and Gary Peters warned the rule undermines FEMA and demanded records on approval times. In declared disasters, speed must prevail over fiscal micromanagement. Rescind The $100,000 Threshold And Restore FEMA Agility Act now to restore FEMA’s speed and credibility. Require automatic delegations that lift the $100,000 threshold during declared disasters. Mandate public time stamped logs for major spending and deployments to reveal delays. Strengthen the Stafford Act - the law governing disaster declarations that enables FEMA aid - to prevent controls that slow lifesaving work. Require FEMA To Publish Decision Timelines For Every Disaster Response Americans deserve proof their government is ready. Require FEMA to publish after-action reports with timelines of major decisions that show when requests were made, approved, or delayed, and by whom. Without reforms, Texas-style failures will repeat and cost lives. Act Before The Next Storm To Restore Speed And Save Lives Disasters do not wait for absent leaders or paperwork. If FEMA cannot act at a moment’s notice, it is not fulfilling its mission. Congress must move quickly to restore FEMA’s capacity, professionalism, and credibility before the next storm arrives.