Sponsors (3)
The bill boosts domestic disaster relief funding to speed recovery for Americans in declared disasters but does so by diverting previously appropriated USAID funds, trading foreign aid and long-term development stability for near-term domestic disaster assistance.
Disaster-affected local and state governments will receive additional FEMA Disaster Relief Fund money, enabling faster recovery and more disaster aid after declared major disasters.
Taxpayers and households impacted by disasters may get more timely federal assistance because increased DRF resources reduce delays in delivering recovery funds.
Programs funded by USAID will lose unobligated funding, reducing available resources for foreign aid and development projects supported by those appropriations.
Repurposing previously appropriated foreign assistance risks undermining long-term disaster resilience and development abroad, which could shift costs and instability onto domestic relief priorities and U.S. national security interests.
Removing unobligated USAID funds may create administrative disruption at USAID and delay or cancel planned programs, harming contractors, partners, and federal staff involved in those projects.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Moves unobligated USAID appropriations existing at enactment into FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund for Stafford Act major disasters.
Redirects any unobligated funds that have previously been appropriated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) into the federal Disaster Relief Fund so those dollars can be used for major disasters declared under the Stafford Act. The bill defines the moved money as unobligated USAID appropriations existing as of the date the law takes effect and requires those amounts to be transferred to FEMA for disaster response and recovery.
Introduced February 14, 2025 by Josh Brecheen · Last progress February 14, 2025