As Florida and other states recover from Hurricane Helene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working to assist in the effort. Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has introduced bipartisan legislation to authorize additional FEMA funding in the wake of the storm, with Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) saying, "Americans are counting on us, and we must take immediate action to address their life-saving needs."
More specifically, the bill authorizes an additional $10 billion to FEMA and $5 billion to the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which is part of the national Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"My constituents in Pinellas County depend on Congress to take swift and decisive action in the wake of this unprecedented disaster caused by Hurricane Helene. I am ready and willing to return to Washington and ensure our communities receive the critical resources necessary for a rapid recovery. Americans are counting on us, and we must take immediate action to address their life-saving needs," said Rep. Luna in her press release.
At the beginning of September, Rep. Moskowitz and Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) called attention to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) running out of money, forcing the Agency to reallocate funds from elsewhere.
"In Florida, we're no strangers to natural disasters and the long recovery process that follows. The 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," explained Rep. Cammack.
"As the former Emergency Management Director for Florida, the financial state of FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund is incredibly troubling. This is the second year in a row that Congress has let the Disaster Relief Fund be depleted," said Rep. Moskowitz, adding, "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't ever be politicized or used as a bargaining chip."
The presidential campaign of former President Donald Trump recently revealed that FEMA funds, which Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said were lacking for hurricane season, were going toward housing assistance for illegal aliens apprehended at the border.
