By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Leaders of the United States House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee want Congress to consider an overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Committee chair, Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves, has released a “discussion draft” along with the ranking Democrat on the Committee, Congressman Rick Larsen of Washington state.
Graves, a Republican, says the two want to streamline FEMA, especially to help the victims of disasters receive aid quicker.
“It just shouldn’t take as long as FEMA does now, the way it’s set up,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It hasn’t been working for Americans for some time now. And we’ve been working on FEMA reforms over the years and it just simply hasn’t been enough. So, this is a big overhaul of the system.”
The proposal would return FEMA to cabinet-level status, reporting directly to the president. It would require FEMA to eliminate federal jargon and provide clear notices to victims. It would give incentives to states to invest in disaster mitigation efforts.
Graves accuses FEMA of unfairly distributing disaster aid.
“And it’s almost like cherry picking,” Graves says. “Some victims don’t get the help that they need. Some get more help than they need. This is going to make sure that they treat everybody fairly. This needs to be done once and for all. The system needs to be overhauled.”
The proposal is formally called the, “Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025. It would establish a Recovery Task Force to close out 1,000 lingering disaster declarations dating back to Hurricane Katrina. It would direct FEMA to improve coordination among federal agencies that respond to disasters.
Graves and Larsen released what they call a “discussion draft” of the legislation to get feedback from members of Congress as well as those who work in emergency management.
Graves accuses FEMA of not only unfairly distributing disaster aid, but, at times, playing politics with it.
“Depending on your politics or what signs that you have in your yard shouldn’t have any impact whatsoever on whether or not you receive assistance or not,” Graves says.
Florida officials claimed FEMA, during the Biden administration, withheld aid from some Florida hurricane victims, because they supported then President-elect Trump.
Some in Washington, D.C. have called for the elimination of FEMA with the money spend on the federal agency distributed to the states.
Graves says proposes overhauling FEMA, not eliminating a federal agency to respond to disasters.
“It’s under my jurisdiction and I do think that we do need a federal agency,” Graves says.
The proposal also would remove obstacles that discourage donations from charities, religious organizations, and the public, to increase private disaster response. It would also promote more preventative measures.
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