Congress·In Committee·S. 4022

Sens. Budd and Warnock Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Speed Up Federal Disaster Relief Funding

Disaster Recovery Improvement Act

19 days ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

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Key Points

This bill creates a new interagency task force, led by FEMA, to figure out why federal disaster relief money takes so long to reach communities and recommend ways to speed it up. The effort was prompted by delays after recent disasters like Hurricane Helene.
From policy text
“The delayed delivery of Federal disaster relief funding to local communities in the wake of recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Helene, revealed new and longstanding bottlenecks in Federal disaster response.”
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The task force will include officials from 12 federal agencies plus 4 state governors and 4 county commissioners from areas recently hit by hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and earthquakes — ensuring that people with on-the-ground experience shape the recommendations.
From policy text
“4 state governors, jointly appointed by the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, representing States that, during the 3-year period immediately preceding appointment to the interagency task force, have experienced a major disaster”
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Within one year, the task force must publicly release a report with specific recommendations to streamline applications, cut delays in getting funds out, and identify what causes holdups — including during presidential transitions.
From policy text
“contains recommendations for Federal agencies on the most effective way to expedite disaster relief efforts, including recommendations to-- (i) streamline the establishment and administration of temporary programs; (ii) improve the timeliness, accessibility, and clarity of applications for funding; and (iii) reduce delays in the review and obligation of funds with respect to applications received”
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The report must cover specific programs like FEMA Public Assistance, HUD's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, USDA crop loss aid, Department of Labor Dislocated Worker Grants, and EPA Clean Water funds — tackling delays across a wide range of disaster relief channels.
From policy text
“the interagency task force shall make recommendations for ways to expedite making available and obligating specific funding appropriated by Congress to certain agencies”
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The bill does not authorize any new spending. It is purely a study-and-recommend effort. Within 180 days of the initial report, agencies must explain which recommendations they will implement and which they won't, and the task force then dissolves 90 days later.
From policy text
“No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.”
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Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 5, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Mar 5, 2026

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

90 days after enactment

Task force is officially created with members from 12 federal agencies, 4 governors, and 4 county commissioners

This is when the group that will study disaster funding delays actually starts working — no immediate changes for disaster victims yet

1 year after enactment

Task force releases its public report with specific recommendations to speed up disaster relief

Communities and lawmakers will see concrete proposals for fixing delays in programs like FEMA assistance, HUD disaster grants, and USDA crop loss aid

18 months after enactment

Agencies report back on which recommendations they will implement and which they won't

This is when people will find out whether the study actually leads to real changes — agencies must justify rejecting any recommendations

Related News

1 article

POLITICO·18 days ago

Bipartisan bill taps local input to overhaul disaster response

Sens. Ted Budd and Raphael Warnock are proposing the Disaster Recovery Improvement Act to streamline federal disaster aid. The bill would establish an interagency task force to gather recommendations from state and local officials on cutting red tape and improving recovery efficiency.

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