Sponsors (2)
The bill improves transparency and accountability of FEMA disaster relief funds through monthly, standardized public reporting, at the cost of modest administrative burdens, potential redaction/review delays, and increased public pressure for faster disbursements.
State, local, tribal officials plus taxpayers, journalists, and researchers will receive monthly, declaration-level DRF obligation and disbursement data so jurisdictions and the public can see how disaster dollars are being spent.
Communities and watchdogs will be able to identify FEMA projects pending obligation for more than 180 days, improving accountability for delayed disaster funding.
A uniform, open-data reporting template and public posting will make it easier for researchers, journalists, and the public to analyze DRF usage and compare across disasters and jurisdictions.
FEMA will incur additional administrative costs and staff time to produce monthly reports and implement the open-data template, diverting resources from other tasks.
More frequent public disclosure may require redaction of sensitive program details or additional review, which could slow reporting or increase compliance workload.
Heightened visibility may create public and political pressure for faster disbursements, generating expectations that could be unrealistic given legal or logistical constraints.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires FEMA to publish standardized monthly Disaster Relief Fund obligation and disbursement reports with project-level details and explanations for withheld or reprogrammed funds.
Official title: To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to submit a monthly report on the status of all projects and activities funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 10, 2026 by Wesley Bell · Last progress February 10, 2026
Requires FEMA to publish monthly, public reports showing Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) obligations and disbursements. Reports must include overall balances, per-declaration breakdowns, lists of public assistance projects (submitted, approved, disbursed), projects pending obligation over 180 days, and explanations for any withheld, deferred, or reprogrammed funds; FEMA must post each report online and adopt a uniform open-data reporting template within 90 days.