The legislation comes as federal disaster programs have faced criticism for slow deployment of aid following major natural disasters.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Republican and a Democrat in the U.S. Senate this week introduced bipartisan legislation to overhaul how the federal government delivers disaster relief, aiming to cut through bureaucratic delays that have slowed aid to communities recovering from natural disasters.
Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., introduced the Disaster Recovery Improvement Act, which would create an interagency Disaster Recovery Improvement Task Force. The task force would gather input from local officials — including county commissioners and governors — to identify gaps in federal disaster aid programs and recommend reforms.
The legislation comes as federal disaster programs have faced criticism for slow deployment of aid following major natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes.
Budd said his work with the Department of Homeland Security to unlock Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for Western North Carolina revealed systemic problems extending beyond FEMA.
“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,” Budd said. “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.”
Warnock cited the experiences of Georgians who have struggled to access timely federal assistance after disasters.
“When disaster strikes, Georgians should not have to navigate a confusing, bureaucratic maze to rebuild their lives,” Warnock said. “Lately, the federal government has not acted with the urgency our neighbors need when they are hurting, and Georgians have felt these delays.”
Under the bill, the task force would be chaired by a senior FEMA official and include senior representatives from 11 federal agencies: the Small Business Administration, the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Labor, Transportation, the Treasury, and the Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Office of Management and Budget.
The task force would also include four state governors and four county commissioners, giving state and local officials a formal role in shaping federal disaster policy.
Among its mandated tasks, the task force would develop recommendations to prevent delays in deploying disaster relief aid during transitions between presidential administrations — a recurring problem that has drawn bipartisan concern.
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners endorsed the legislation. Wallace Nelson, the group’s president, said county-level participation is critical to effective disaster recovery.
“Disaster recovery begins and ends at the local level,” Nelson said. “We must support those impacted by Helene while applying important lessons learned in the wake of the disaster to improve outcomes in future events.”
The bill does not specify a timeline for the task force’s work or detail how its recommendations would be implemented.
This comes as North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced Friday that a judge granted his office’s motion to make FEMA reinstate its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
“FEMA tried to cancel $200 million for North Carolina,” said Jackson in a statement. “We took them to court, we won, and then they defied the court order and refused to pay. So we just took them back to court – and won again. FEMA has 14 days to show the court they are complying. The clock is ticking, and we are ready to do this again if necessary.”
For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts that impact you from WCNC Charlotte, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app and enable push notifications.
