Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) is introducing legislation to ensure that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief funds continue to pay out as the government shutdown enters its third week.
Specifically, Rep. Moskowitz's Federal Emergency Management Continuity Act mandates that resources available in the Disaster Relief Fund would continue to be obligated and dispersed for covered programs during any lapse in federal appropriations. Employees necessary to carry out such disbursements would not be subject to furlough or reduction in force due to a shutdown.
"During a government shutdown, communities hit by disaster shouldn't have to worry that the resources they're counting on to recover will go undelivered," Rep. Moskowitz said in a statement. "With this bill, families and businesses can have confidence that the funds they were promised will still be on their way, no matter what's happening in Washington. Their recovery shouldn't risk being put on hold just because Congress can't do its job."
Representative Troy Carter (D-LA), the bill's cosponsor, praised the effort, assuring that "FEMA will continue delivering vital disaster relief and recovery assistance without interruption — even during government shutdowns."
"Natural disasters and emergencies don't wait for politics, and neither should our response," Rep. Carter continued. " This bill safeguards the continuity of essential operations and protects the dedicated FEMA employees who make disaster recovery and response possible, ensuring that communities in crisis continue to receive assistance despite dysfunction in Congress."
Moskowitz's FEMA legislation is similar to a series of bills introduced or sponsored by Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL), which ensure that the military and essential Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel continue to receive pay during government shutdowns.
President Donald Trump recently ordered the Pentagon to reallocate $6.5 billion from unspent funds to cover active-duty military pay, which Democrats have said is "illegal" but are not expected to challenge.
