U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) have introduced the Disaster Recovery Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at improving how federal disaster aid is delivered. The legislation would create the Disaster Recovery Improvement Task Force, which brings together officials from multiple levels of government to evaluate and recommend reforms for federal disaster response programs.
The proposed task force would include a senior official from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as representatives from several other federal agencies that oversee key disaster recovery programs. State governors and county commissioners would also participate, providing input from local perspectives.
Senator Budd said, “For well over a year, I have worked with DHS to unlock FEMA funding for Western North Carolina that has been stuck in longstanding regulatory bottlenecks. Through that work, I’ve also uncovered additional gaps in our federal disaster response, including programs run by other agencies that have slowed recovery efforts. This cannot continue. Reform is clearly needed to fix these programs which is why Senator Warnock and I have put forth a solution to establish a task force that would bring local, state, and federal officials together to eliminate hurdles holding back the deployment disaster relief.”
Senator Warnock added, “When disaster strikes, Georgians should not have to navigate a confusing, bureaucratic maze to rebuild their lives. Lately, the federal government has not acted with the urgency our neighbors need when they are hurting, and Georgians have felt these delays. This bipartisan task force Senator Budd and I are proposing would bring local and federal leaders to the same table so we can better deliver relief to the people who need it most.”
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) has expressed support for the bill. Wallace Nelson, President of NCACC said: “The voice of county leaders is critical in disaster recovery. We appreciate Senator Budd’s recognition of that fact by including county-level input in his proposed legislation, which seeks to craft meaningful reforms for disaster recovery programs that span numerous federal agencies outside of FEMA. Disaster recovery begins and ends at the local level. We must support those impacted by Helene while applying important lessons learned in the wake of the disaster to improve outcomes in future events.”
If passed into law, the act would require the task force to identify shortcomings in current federal programs related to disaster recovery and make recommendations designed to prevent delays—especially during transitions between presidential administrations.
