{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-secures-pledge-from-noem-to-expedite-relief-for-missourians-after-devastating-storms/", "Hawley Secures Pledge from Noem to Expedite Relief for Missourians After Devastating Storms", "2025-05-20", "2025", "2025-05", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Less than 24 hours after visiting St. Louis to survey the devastating storm damage from Friday\u2019s tornadoes, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) secured a pledge from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem \u2013 who oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) \u2013 to expedite relief for Missouri storm victims. The exchange comes after Missouri was rocked by tornadoes this spring and lost many lives in a span of two months.\n\nIn the hearing, Senator Hawley detailed the debilitating storms that took the lives of 7 Missourians on Friday and left behind more than $1.6 billion in property damage. He also noted that this is not the only lethal storm to hit the state in recent weeks.\n\n\u201cThe state has pending three requests for major disaster relief declarations from earlier storms. Counting the people we lost on Friday, we\u2019ve lost almost twenty people now in major storms in the last two months in Missouri. It\u2019s been a terrible spring for us,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cFor those three disaster declaration requests that are still pending, will you help with those and get those approved? We are desperate for the assistance in Missouri.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, absolutely,\u201d promised Secretary Noem.\n\nSecretary Noem pledged that she would expedite individual assistance for affected Missourians and review of the state\u2019s requested disaster declarations. She also promised she would work with Senator Hawley, who chairs the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disaster Management, to ensure FEMA provides Missourians with the necessary assistance in the aftermath of the storms.\n\n\u201cCan you commit to, as we deal with this disaster in St. Louis and others around the state, that under your leadership, FEMA is going to act with expedition, they are going to be clear in the communications, and they are going to follow up and give Missourians the awards they need if they qualify for it?\u201d asked Senator Hawley.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:20:29Z"]], "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://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-secures-pledge-from-noem-to-expedite-relief-for-missourians-after-devastating-storms/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7321699522435665, "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"}