ICYMI: Bresnahan Votes for Bipartisan FEMA Reform

September 10, 2025
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC: Today, U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 4669, the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025, during a markup held last week by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“Northeastern Pennsylvania knows all too well our fair share of natural disasters,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “When our communities suffer from these disasters, they need to know that help is on the way and not stuck in the middle of an unnecessarily difficult bureaucratic process. The FEMA Act brings needed reforms to FEMA to put states in the driver’s seat for mitigation and response efforts.”

Among many improvements and reforms to FEMA are provisions from Rep. Bresnahan’s bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4426, the Studying Mitigation and Reporting Transparently (SMART) Act, which would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to study and report on the cost-benefit of their mitigation activities.

“Investing in disaster mitigation saves lives and taxpayer dollars,” continued Rep. Bresnahan. “I am proud my bipartisan legislation to direct FEMA to conduct studies on the cost-savings and effectiveness of their mitigation efforts was included in this bill. This will bring greater transparency and accountability to FEMA and ensure we see a real return on our investments. I will continue to fight to make FEMA work for NEPA families before, during, and after natural disasters.”

Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District has experienced numerous flooding events over the last two decades. In May 2025, the Borough of Honesdale was hit with flash flooding. In September 2023, Luzerne County was hit by floods that caused $25 Million in damages and destroyed 459 properties. During storms in September 2011, the Susquehanna River crested at a record 42.66 feet and nearly breeched the levees in Wilkes Barre. Additionally, in 1972, Hurricane Agnes brought record rainfall and flooding to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses suffered an estimated $2 billion in damage from Hurricane Agnes.

 

Specifically, the FEMA Act of 2025:

  • Restores FEMA’s original status as an independent agency, reporting directly to the President and overseen by its own inspector general.
    • This structure mirrors the Stafford Act, which authorizes the President to direct federal disaster response efforts through the Disaster Relief Fund.
    • Returning FEMA to a Cabinet-level agency will empower the Administrator to lead a coordinated, government-wide response to disasters.
    • FEMA will become more agile and focused on helping Americans – not bogged down by having its resources and personnel diverted to support non-Stafford Act disasters.

 

  • Puts disaster-impacted states in the driver’s seat, helps dollars reach communities faster, injects common sense, and cuts red tape that can drag out disaster recovery for decades.
    • By replacing the slow and bureaucratic rebuilding process with faster, project-based grants, states will be able to set the pace of recovery, reduce their dependence on costly consultants, and prioritize the highest need projects, without having to take out expensive loans or wait years for reimbursement.
    • For the first time, states are incentivized to make their own investments in mitigation, robust state rainy day funds, and private insurance policies.
    • This legislation also makes critical reforms to federal permitting and procurement processes to speed up rebuilding projects and eliminate unnecessary delays.
    • In addition, the FEMA Act of 2025 establishes a Recovery Task Force charged with closing out more than 1,000 lingering disaster declarations dating back to Hurricane Katrina and directs FEMA to improve coordination across all federal agencies involved in disaster recovery.

 

  • Makes commonsense changes to help disaster aid work better for survivors, while saving taxpayer dollars.
    • Disaster survivors will complete a single, streamlined application when applying for assistance, significantly reducing the paperwork burden.
    • FEMA must provide clear, understandable notices to disaster survivors, ending the confusion caused by complex and jargon-filled denial letters.
    • It directs the FEMA Administrator to apply practical, survivor-focused solutions that both speed assistance to disaster victims and reduce overall costs to taxpayers.
    • The FEMA Act of 2025 removes disincentives that have discouraged donations from charities, religious organizations, and the public, ensuring more non-federal support is available for disaster survivors.
    • States are given more flexibility to determine the best emergency housing solution for a particular disaster.

 

  • Strengthens efforts to protect communities before a disaster occurs.
    • The FEMA Act of 2025 overhauls FEMA’s existing mitigation framework to accelerate project timelines, reduce long-term disaster costs, and ensure greater coordination across federal funding streams, so states can more effectively leverage resources.
    • States can pre-vet mitigation projects through a peer-review process to speed up funding when disaster strikes and combine funds from federal programs to expedite the completion of critical projects.
    • The FEMA Act of 2025 clarifies building code requirements, ensuring states retain the flexibility to tailor standards to the hazards they face.
    • The legislation also supports homeowners as they invest in cost-effective mitigation improvements, reducing long-term disaster costs.

 

  • Prevents the politicization of disaster aid and demands greater transparency and accountability from FEMA.
    • The FEMA Act of 2025 strictly prohibits any political discrimination in providing disaster recovery assistance. It directs the Office of Management and Budget to establish a centralized public website that tracks disaster assistance funding across the federal government.
    • The bill mandates a full Government Accountability Office review of all FEMA regulations and policies to eliminate outdated, conflicting, and unnecessary rules.
    • It also requires an assessment of identity theft and disaster fraud risks, and directs reviews related to insurance coverage, the effectiveness of public alerting systems, and cost savings associated with the reforms in the discussion draft.

You can read the full text legislation here.

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Issues: Transportation and Infrastructure