Senator Kim Presses for a FEMA Free of Political Manipulation and Prepared to Deliver for Communities Across the Country

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate considers Trump’s nominee to head FEMA, Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Subcommittee on FEMA, led 16 colleagues in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought demanding immediate transparency and accountability after reports that the Trump Administration has disproportionately rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states, failing to deliver timely aid to disaster survivors. Despite federal regulations requiring that FEMA provide disaster relief recommendations based on verifiable criteria, the Trump Administration has provided no further information on what considerations are taken into account during the aid process. “Federal regulations require FEMA to provide recommendations based on specific, verifiable criteria. To date, President Trump’s Administration has provided no further information regarding what this new approval process entails or what metrics or other considerations it relies on, causing uncertainty that leaves disaster survivors in the dark. It is critical that Congress understand why disaster assistance requests have been denied and ensure the process is free from political influence,” wrote the Senators. Read the Full Letter The letter, requesting a comprehensive overview of the federal disaster aid approval process, was signed by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Tina Smith (D-MN). In the letter, the Senators cite recent reporting that found that President Trump’s second Administration has rejected Public Assistance disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of FEMA. The same report found that Republican-led states have waited 39 days on average for a decision compared to the 80-day average for Democratic-led states. The Senators shared that “these delays have left disaster survivors in the dark waiting to learn whether the federal government will assist in their recovery.” The letter was sent just ahead of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ hearing to consider Trump’s nominee, Cameron Hamilton, to head FEMA. During the hearing, Senator Kim pressed Hamilton to commit to working directly with Congress to move forward on reforms at FEMA and support the agency’s mission to deliver all communities relief and support when disaster strikes. While addressing Hamilton, Senator Kim made clear: “We’ve had a number of good conversations amongst Senators in a bipartisan way…I think of nothing really more important than being there for Americans on their hardest days. And when I hear from these families, those that survived Superstorm Sandy and other problems that we’ve encountered in New Jersey and around this country, I think that this is just so important that we get right, and we can’t wait for some future Congress or some future administration to be able to take action.” ###