Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL) has mobilized a bipartisan group of nearly 100 lawmakers to pressure the US Senate into passing his Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act.
Congressman Steube and 78 other legislators sent a letter to Senate leadership demanding the respective relief bill be brought to the senate floor for a vote after it passed the House 382-7.
The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act would prevent Americans who suffered losses due to federally designated natural disasters from paying taxes on federal aid received to recover from the same.
“Through no fault of their own, too many Americans have incurred thousands of dollars in disaster-related expenses,” reads Steube’s letter. “Many others are also facing unfair tax burdens as a result of being heavily taxed on rightful compensation from being the victim of a wildfire disaster.”
Steube’s relief act passed the House following a discharge petition.
A discharge petition is a legislative mechanism that, if supported by a majority of the House, calls a floor vote on a bill without passing it through committees.
Steube’s successful discharge petition marks only the third such petition in the 21st century.
Following the bill’s resounding success in the House, Steube now seeks to pressure the Senate into voting for the bill.
“I’ve built a coalition of Congressional members advocating for their own disaster-stricken districts,” said Steube via X. “We’ve successfully moved this through the House (twice!). The Senate is holding up relief for Americans impacted by disasters in 48 states. Enough is enough.”
I’m leading 78 colleagues in a sweeping bipartisan effort to demand Senate leadership bring my bill, The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, to the floor. It passed the House 382-7.
We’re already well into Hurricane Season 2024, but Congress still hasn’t applied disaster tax relief… pic.twitter.com/C5pOKE1fEn
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) August 15, 2024
Steube has actively advocated for expanded federal support towards Americans adversely impacted by federal disasters.
In October 2023, for example, Steube drafted the Clean Up Disasters and Emergencies with Better Recovery and Immediate Support (DEBRIS) Act to aid private communities’ disaster recovery efforts.
According to Steube’s office, the DEBRIS Act would mandate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) include common interest communities in federal assistance available for other homeowners.
Common interest communities are characterized as housing cooperatives, condominiums, and mobile homes that are a part of an association.
