Sponsors (6)
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Requires FEMA to continue obligating and disbursing existing Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) balances for specified disaster relief, emergency assistance, and recovery programs during any lapse in FEMA appropriations, and designates employees needed to carry out those disbursements as excepted employees who may not be furloughed or reduced in force. Also establishes the Act's short title for citation purposes.
The bill keeps disaster assistance and FEMA operations running through funding lapses—reducing interruptions to recovery—while trading off fiscal flexibility, potential depletion of DRF reserves for future emergencies, and reduced agency staffing flexibility.
Disaster survivors, individuals in urban and rural communities, and state and local governments continue receiving Disaster Relief Fund payments and retain access to FEMA individual and public assistance programs during an appropriations lapse, preventing interruptions to recovery assistance.
Federal disaster response capacity is preserved because FEMA can keep excepted staff working (no furloughs), reducing claim-processing delays and speeding aid delivery to affected people and jurisdictions.
Taxpayers could face higher costs if continuing DRF disbursements during a lapse reduces Congress’s leverage to control spending or creates unplanned outlays.
Drawing down Disaster Relief Fund balances during prolonged funding lapses could deplete reserves and leave less funding available for future disasters, weakening readiness for new emergencies.
Requiring FEMA staff to be treated as excepted and prohibiting furloughs limits agencies’ ability to cut personnel costs during shutdowns and could complicate agency staffing plans and flexibility.
Introduced October 17, 2025 by Jared Moskowitz · Last progress October 17, 2025