Disaster Relief: Congressional Overrides of Denied Requests
A bill to provide for a procedure for Congress to carry out a reversal of a decision by the President not to declare a major disaster requested by the Governor of a State under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for other purposes.
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It has been sent to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
Senate
House
President
Law
Unlikely to pass
This bill shifts power from the executive branch to Congress, which usually faces strong opposition from whichever party holds the White House.
Key Points
This bill creates a way for Congress to step in when a state's request for disaster help is turned down. If a Governor asks for a major disaster declaration and the White House says no, Congress could vote to change that decision and provide the aid anyway.
The process starts if the refusal goes against the advice of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or ignores past examples of similar disasters. In these cases, the White House must send a written explanation to Congress within 24 hours explaining why the request was denied.
Congress would use a fast-track voting process to decide whether to reverse the denial. The bill sets strict time limits on debates and prevents members of Congress from adding unrelated changes to the vote, making sure the decision happens quickly during an emergency.
This change matters because it gives states another path to get federal money and resources after a catastrophe. It aims to make sure that politics or personal disagreements do not stop families and businesses from getting the help they need to rebuild after a storm, fire, or flood.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
Apr 29, 2026Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Apr 29, 2026
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
A bill to provide for a procedure for Congress to carry out a reversal of a decision by the President not to declare a major disaster requested by the Governor of a State under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and for other purposes.
Bill NumberS 4433
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
