{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-troy-carter-urges-congress-replenish-fema-disaster-relief-fund", "Rep. Troy Carter Urges Congress to Replenish FEMA Disaster Relief Fund", "2024-09-05", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "LA", "Troy A. Carter", "C001125", "troycarter.house.gov", "troycarter", "https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) sent a bipartisan letter to House leadership and House Appropriations Committee leaders urging congressional action to replenish FEMA\u2019s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), and Neal Dunn (R-FL) joined Congressman Carter on this request.\n\nThe DRF is the primary funding source for the federal government's disaster relief programs. It funds \"Direct Disaster Programs,\" which are the Individual Assistance (IA), Public Assistance (PA), and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) programs. On August 7th, FEMA announced that the DRF had become depleted and implemented Immediate Needs Funding (INF)\u2014redirecting money from other programs to respond to the most urgent, lifesaving needs. Though FEMA can still respond to immediate disasters, implementing INF will result in stalled payments for past disasters and grant awards, potential staff furloughs, and delays in future disaster planning measures. These delayed payments put communities at risk of future disasters by halting critical disaster planning and hazard mitigation construction projects. The agency projects a DRF deficit of over $6 billion by the end of FY2024 without supplemental appropriations.\n\n\u201cStorms don\u2019t discriminate and it\u2019s more important than ever that we work together to save lives and prepare our communities,\u201d said Rep. Carter. \u201cBy replenishing FEMA\u2019s Disaster Relief Fund, we\u2019re ensuring that the federal government isn\u2019t only responding to current disasters, but also actively rebuilding from past events and mitigating future disasters. It\u2019s imperative that Congress acts again soon to make up this deficit so that we have a fully functioning FEMA, especially now in the middle of hurricane season.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe nation has already been victim to 15 weather and climate disasters that cost at least $1 billion in 2024, on top of a record year of disaster events last year. NOAA predicts that this will be the busiest hurricane season on record,\u201d the Members wrote. \u201cThis is the second straight year that the DRF has been nearly depleted\u2014a last-minute continuing resolution in late September 2023 replenished the fund. We ask that Congress act again soon to pass DRF funding so FEMA can work at full capacity.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the former Emergency Management Director for Florida, the financial state of FEMA\u2019s Disaster Relief Fund is incredibly troubling. This is the second year in a row that Congress has let the Disaster Relief Fund be depleted. I introduced H.R. 8716 in June to avoid this scenario, but Congress has unfortunately become far too reactive instead of proactive. We must demonstrate to the American people that our government still works and can carry out basic functions like helping those impacted by disaster recover in their hour of greatest need. Emergency management is something that shouldn\u2019t ever be politicized or used as a bargaining chip, and I\u2019m thankful to my colleagues across the aisle for joining me in calling for this funding,\u201d said Rep. Moskowitz.\n\n\u201cIn Florida, we\u2019re no strangers to natural disasters and the long recovery process that follows,\u201d said Rep. Cammack. \u201cThe Disaster Relief Fund is a useful tool to get communities back on their feet and to help those in need recovery from these life-altering events, but it only works when it has the necessary funds to help the American people. I\u2019m glad to join Rep. Moskowitz and my bipartisan colleagues in calling on Congress to refresh the DRF.\u201d\n\n\"FEMA is often the first line of recovery when disaster strikes, making it crucial to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund so that communities in North Florida have the support they need,\" said Rep. Dunn. \"These funds must be appropriated ahead of time to ensure a swift response. It's vital that appropriations discussions take into account the disaster preparedness needs of American communities.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nReps. Carter and Moskowitz are the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus, which they formed in 2023. The caucus works across the aisle to advance legislation and policies that provide efficient, equitable relief for disaster survivors and promote measures for impacted communities to recover fully. The caucus also advocates for disaster preparedness and programs that help save lives while readying America\u2019s communities for future incidents.\n\nRead the full letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://troycarter.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-troy-carter-urges-congress-replenish-fema-disaster-relief-fund"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9615621529519558, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}