As your constituent, I am urging you to pass a comprehensive disaster relief package that includes funding for essential nutrition and housing programs to ensure that federal disaster recovery resources reach all impacted households, including those with the lowest incomes who are often the hardest-hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover afterwards.
I urge Congress to provide $30 million in emergency funding for WIC to support state agencies recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, ensuring WIC participants in impacted states can continue to receive service and benefits without disruption or delay. Amidst the challenges arising from these disasters, state and local WIC agencies have continued to serve families and certify new participants, due in large part to waiver flexibilities allowing participants to be certified by phone or video appointment. I hope Congress will make these flexibilities permanent in any year-end legislative package to ensure all future WIC participants can benefit from a more modern service delivery, better meeting the needs of busy families.
In addition, many food banks are struggling to meet the additional needs while some of their facilities were destroyed during recent disasters. I join others in calling for Congress to provide an additional $245 million in supplemental TEFAP foods to meet both the immediate and long-term needs in areas impacted by natural disasters. This funding will help ensure that local emergency feeding organizations can supply food without disruption.
In addition, Congress should permanently authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) to provide grants that help rebuild affordable housing and critical infrastructure to ensure an efficient and equitable recovery process so that our most vulnerable communities aren’t left out.
As the climate crisis grows more and more dire, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and stronger, and the need for increased funding becomes more necessary. It is critical that federal disaster recovery efforts reach all impacted households, including the lowest income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and other at-risk populations who are often the hardest-hit by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover afterwards.
I am urging you to prioritize programs that reach people with the lowest incomes by passing comprehensive disaster relief legislation now.
