Rep. Chu Expresses Disappointment in FEMA’s Final Denial of Supplemental Funding for Wildfire Survivor Case Management

October 30, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, FEMA upheld its denial of California’s appeal for supplemental funding for the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP), with no further opportunity to appeal. The program connects survivors of the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires with case managers who help them navigate insurance claims, find housing, and access federal assistance. The supplemental funding would have sustained DCMP through the full 24-month timeframe that FEMA itself approved. The State of California has confirmed that the American Red Cross will continue funding DCMP services through Catholic Charities of California once the remaining federal funds are exhausted. The State anticipates that this funding will extend services through mid-2027, depending on when federal funds run out and how much the services are used. Rep. Chu, who has led congressional efforts to secure federal disaster assistance, tax relief, and long-term recovery resources for Eaton Fire survivors, repeatedly pressed FEMA to release the outstanding DCMP funds. In September 2026, she led Rep. Sherman and Sens. Schiff and Padilla in successfully pressuring FEMA to release all installments of the original previously approved funding for the DCMP. Rep. Chu released the following statement: “I am deeply disappointed that FEMA has denied California’s appeal for additional funding for the Disaster Case Management Program. Nearly two years after the Eaton Fire, thousands of survivors are still displaced and still working to come home, and case managers are the people who help them get there. I am grateful that the American Red Cross is stepping in to keep these services available, but our communities should not have to rely on charity to fill a gap the federal government has a responsibility to close. I will keep working with the state and our local partners to make sure every survivor still has the resources they need to recover.”