The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management hosted FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell for the first time on June 23 for a hearing titled “FEMA’s Priorities for FY22 and Beyond: Coordinating Mission, Vision, and Budget.” This hearing comes after Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Subcommittee Chair Dina Titus (D-NV), and Ranking Member Daniel Webster (R-FL), sent a letter to FEMA raising the issue of basic eligibility determinations for Individual Assistance (IA) and clarity in appeals.
The hearing became charged early with Chairman DeFazio’s opening statement, which echoed the sentiments of many disaster survivors and advocates who have found the application process for FEMA recovery programs increasingly difficult. “The apparent inconsistencies and inequities for disaster survivors seeking help are frustrating” said Chairman DeFazio, “and the process survivors endure to apply and get evaluates is frankly a black box.” Chairman DeFazio specifically cited FEMA’s restrictive IA program eligibility requirements that survivors must meet to receive assistance, saying that “survivors who have lost literally everything should not have to go through a rigmarole to try to prove eligibility for often meager FEMA assistance. It’s demoralizing.” In response to a later question from Chairman DeFazio about streamlining the applications process for disaster assistance, Administrator Criswell stated that she understood the frustration and that “I think that right now, we can do a better job of making sure our programs are easily accessible for individuals.”
The questions of several committee members also expressed concern about how FEMA is handling disaster recovery. Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) reflected on her history as a regional administrator at HUD working in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and questioned FEMA protocols and their effect on efficiency – stating that the agency often implements short term housing solutions that cost more than simply repairing storm damaged homes. Administrator Criswell stated that the agency would be re-examining its regulatory frameworks to ensure that taxpayer money was being used effectively.
Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) questioned Administrator Criswell on FEMA’s ability to pay for costs normally reimbursed by FEMA through its Public Assistance (PA) program. Congressman Garamendi noted that rural counties and local governments often are unable to pay for recovery costs up front, even if they are later reimbursed by FEMA. However, FEMA has not widely utilized alternative procedures to provide these jurisdictions with up-front funding to pay for these necessary disaster recovery efforts, something that is permitted under the Stafford Act. Administrator Criswell stated that she was unaware of any cash-flow issues with rural counties and will look into ways the agency could assist. Cash flow issues has largely stymied efforts in many parts of the country to house individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as residents of congregate care facilities, in hotels and other non-congregate arrangements to lessen their risk of COVID-19 infection.
The issues raised by Committee leadership and membership strongly align with the priorities of the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) – an NLIHC-led group of over 850 local, state, and national organizations working to ensure that all disaster survivors receive the assistance they need to fully recover. The DHRC recently sent a list of policy reform priorities that, if implemented, would address many of the concerns raised during the hearing.
View a recording of the hearing at: https://bit.ly/3xT6GUT
Read opening remarks from Chairman DeFazio and Subcommittee Chairwoman Titus at: https://bit.ly/2SsARDv
Learn more about the DHRC at: https://bit.ly/3h4YD0H