▶ 0:01:52Where's Where's your civil attorney at? Is he in there? Yeah. Yeah, a few guys. And the colleagues now former students.
▶ 0:02:27Yeah, you like that? Yeah. Oh, is that right? Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, that's good.
▶ 0:03:39You again? You again? We're just We're on the circuit. That's right. I've just been making your day all day. All day. I appreciated having farmers on the dais and our Yeah, that was good. Made a bit of a hell of a gamble.
▶ 0:04:15You're learning. You're learning. Good afternoon. Um this is the time and place posted for the uh meeting of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee. Uh I am uh pleased to be uh joined by the subcommittee's distinguished ranking member, the gentle lady from Illinois, Ms. Underwood. Welcome, Mr. Acting uh Administrator Hamilton. I thank you for being here.
▶ 0:04:46Uh while we await the details of the full fiscal year 2026 budget request, the focus of the hearing will be on FEMA's priorities, a deeper dive into the $646 million in cuts to grants, and the 200 and the $26.5 billion request for the Disaster Relief Fund mentioned in the skinny I guess it's it will be no secret to anybody who's been to a couple of these meetings that I'm still waiting for anybody on the
▶ 0:05:16committee to ask that I do an opening statement, and since we haven't had that request, I am going to now defer to my uh distinguished ranking member, Ms. Underwood, for your opening statement. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing to conduct oversight and discuss the fiscal year 2026 budget priorities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I'd also like to welcome Mr. Hamilton, the senior official performing the duties of the FEMA administrator, to his first hearing before our subcommittee. Thank you for meeting with me yesterday ahead of today's hearing.
▶ 0:05:45First and foremost, I'd like to thank the dedicated female workforce, as well as emergency managers across the country who help our communities and constituents before, during, and after disasters. Last year, there was a major disaster declaration every four days, affecting over 40% of Americans. The data is clear. Disasters and extreme weather are getting worse and will continue to do so, driven by climate change.
▶ 0:06:11From hurricanes Barrel, Debbie, Francine, Helene, and Milton in the 2024 season to the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles that my colleagues and I visited in January, disasters are getting bigger, more frequent, and more expensive. But the bare-bones budget for fiscal year 2026 released last week proposes a $646 million cut from fiscal year 2025 levels to FEMA's initiatives that support state and local governments.
▶ 0:06:41I'm concerned that this would cut critical grant programs that firefighters, first responders, and hospitals in rural communities like mine rely on. I'm also concerned that this would cut resources for houses of worship and faith-based organizations, including nonprofit security grants and the National Domestic Preparedness Your budget suggests that it provides duplicative efforts of existing federal and state programs without evidence.
▶ 0:07:08Similarly, your termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program in early April rips away desperately needed and life-saving resources that communities and that communities need to protect themselves from future disasters. This short-sided approach would raise recovery costs for taxpayers and local communities while leaving our constituents less protected.
▶ 0:07:30On the topic of disaster recovery costs, the Disaster Relief Fund, or DRF, is on the brink of depletion and is expected to run a deficit of about $9 billion dollars in fiscal year 2025. That's before assuming any costs associated with future disasters that may occur this year. Hurricane season begins in 25 days.
▶ 0:07:50The growing demand on the DRF creates uncertainty and reliance on implementing immediate needs funding measures to remain solvent, ultimately limiting when and how the public receives help from More broadly, we have bipartisan concerns after the comments from Secretary Noem and President Trump regarding the future handling of FEMA as an agency.
▶ 0:08:12Without a budget request with enough detail to review, public reporting and statements by the Trump administration are our main window into what may be on the horizon for the department. And when it comes to FEMA, Secretary Noem said that she wants to eliminate it, and President Trump said that it could quote go away. Let me be clear, eliminating FEMA will cause catastrophic and needless suffering to the American public. State emergency management leaders have gone on the record since those comments.
▶ 0:08:41They are not equipped to handle the roles FEMA currently plays, marshaling emergency resources from multiple federal agencies, providing flood insurance, conducting damage assessments, and distributing billions of dollars in recovery funds. Pushing disaster response and recovery fully back to the states is dangerous and unrealistic.
▶ 0:09:03I hope to hear today about your plans to improve the agency with fiscal year 2025 dollars as well as what your highest priorities are for fiscal year 2026 and the funding needed to realize those priorities. Thank you, Mr. Hamilton, for being here today, and I look forward to your testimony and answers to our questions. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you, Madam Ranking Member. I'm going to put my questions, Mr. Hamilton, till the end. So, with that, we'll go ahead and Oh, wait.
▶ 0:09:36So, we're going to skip this. We skipped This room is such a great one. So, let's try this again from the top, Mr. Hamilton. First of all, I'd like to request FEMA assistance in getting me on track for this meeting. And then after that, while we will make your full statement available as part of the record, you have the floor for the next 5 minutes for your opening statement. Please proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your time.
▶ 0:10:06If your preference is that I don't make an opening statement for the sake of the group, I'm more than happy to But, Chairman Omar Ranking Member Underwood, members of the subcommittee, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today specifically on FEMA and our priorities. I'm a combat veteran, a former Navy SEAL, a husband, a father, an experienced public servant, and also a man of deep faith. I've served under five different administrations for two decades in various capacities in counterterrorism operations, response and recovery, emergency management, and executive leadership.
▶ 0:10:36Yet, the highest honor of my career is serving right now in the Trump administration, keeping the American people first. I'm now currently serving as a senior official performing the duties of the administrator, which is the longest acronym ever, SOPDO, of the Federal Emergency Management FEMA was established to provide focused support in truly catastrophic disasters. Yet, at times we have strayed far from that core mission and evolved into an overextended federal bureaucracy attempting to manage every type of emergency, no matter how minor.
▶ 0:11:06Instead of being a last resort, FEMA is all too often used by states and public officials as a financial backstop for routine issues that frankly should be handled locally. This misalignment has fostered a culture of dependency, waste, inefficiency, while also delaying crucial aid to Americans who are in genuine need. Red tape, bureaucratic inertia, and top-down micromanagement have turned this disaster recovery into slow, costly, and frustrating processes.
▶ 0:11:32It was for this very reason I was hired to refocus this organization in order to better serve the American people under President Trump's mandate. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are now empowered to restore accountability and federalism to disaster relief.
▶ 0:11:46FEMA must return to its core foundational role, supporting states only when disasters truly exceed their capacity, simplifying recovery processes, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars through common-sense Under the previous administration, FEMA's top goal was to make equity the foundation of emergency management, which I believe personally is an important distraction from helping those in need.
▶ 0:12:07Politics have no place in emergency management, which is why I've directed the termination of additional personnel who fell short of that standard in the wake of the Florida Trump sign scandal my first week on the job. I've also directed FEMA to focus on three operational priorities, and have led to a savings of nearly $3 billion for the American taxpayer. Building SLTT capacity, focusing on survivors, and maintaining operational operational readiness are the goals that we now currently hold, of which you can find on FEMA's website.
▶ 0:12:35First, FEMA must return to its roots where response to disasters locally led, state managed, and federally supported. More than 60% of Americans have less than a thousand dollars in their bank account and are incapable of recovering from disasters without assistance. State, local, tribal, and territorial partners need mentorship to build their disaster preparedness, response, recovery capacity, as well as resources when they are overwhelmed by disasters.
▶ 0:13:00Delaying this timely and effective and life-saving assistance should never be impacted by the bureaucracy of Washington, D.C. Secondly, we must focus on survivors using innovative tools, creative methods, and as the President has said, FEMA needs to cut red tape and must communicate with greater speed and I recall stories of a woman who lost her home and her husband in the same incident and event, only to then call me crying, struggling about how she's navigating her application for When you hold someone in your arms as I have before
▶ 0:13:30who is bloodied, covered in dirt, and there's and has seen quite literally their worst day, there is little else you think about other than giving them your best in those challenging moments. The American people deserve better. They deserve to be treated with the highest priority, which is why I've directed my workforce to review and improve all methods of our customer service through technology and any means necessary.
▶ 0:13:52Third, we must enhance our operational readiness to build a national resilience plan using risk-informed Communities look to FEMA in their greatest times of need, and it's imperative that we remain ready to respond to those challenges. I'm a prudent steward of taxpayer resources. My workforce will prioritize efforts to identify and recover excess funds from contracts, grants, and mission assignments. We will also closely monitor the DRF to ensure that we have firm communication with Congress on a timely basis.
▶ 0:14:19In my current role, I've been intentional in my meeting with the FEMA workforce at headquarters, at each of our regions, and it's been an honor to serve alongside them. I've also met with countless disaster survivors, hearing their stories and concerns. I joined Secretary Noem in her travel and visit to North Carolina as well as Kentucky, and we've instituted critical reforms, but we still have much more work to do as we enter hurricane season.
▶ 0:14:41FEMA needs a top-down reform, and I'm encouraged that President Trump has directed the creation of a FEMA Review Council to conduct deeply needed comprehensive review of this agency. The President has also issued many executive orders to streamline government, and Secretary Noem and I are committed to ensuring those executive orders are carried out in both letter and spirit. Emergency management is at a critical crossroads in our nation as we seek to improve the methods of serving Americans first.
▶ 0:15:06This committee has a vitally important voice in that process with oversight and provides us with the resources necessary to achieve and implement efficiencies. I look forward to answering each of your questions. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Now, if it's okay with all of my critics on the committee, I'd like to go to Ms. Underwood for her questions. Is there any objection? Ms. Underwood, you are recognized for 5 minutes for your questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr.
▶ 0:15:34Hamilton, I'd like to discuss the achieving efficiency through state and local preparedness executive order. This executive order may sound efficient in theory, but in practice, it reads as though the federal government is turning its back on the communities that needed the most. I'm concerned that the goal of this executive order isn't to decentralize disaster response, but to offload federal responsibility. It effectively tells small towns, rural communities, tribal nations, and underfunded municipalities, you're on your own.
▶ 0:16:01I represent a rural and suburban area in northern Illinois, and many of these communities lack emergency management infrastructure, sufficient mitigation planning, and access to federal support. There is no way that the small towns that I represent are equipped to handle leading coordination and response with multiple federal agencies in the wake of a major disaster. Shifting the burden to them is not only irresponsible and wasteful, it's dangerous.
▶ 0:16:26Can you update this committee on the status of the executive order's implementation and what specific actions has FEMA taken, or is FEMA preparing to take under this new directive? Uh yes, ma'am. Sorry, I was trying to hit the mute button. Uh so, we stand by the president in his efforts to ensure that we maintain higher efficiency when it comes to this particular executive order. We are at a bit of an imbalance. We want to partner with states. That partnership requires state investment. And so, what we're looking at is policies and initiatives that encourage greater state participation.
▶ 0:16:55This will not be a radical transition in an instant. This has to occur in a phased approach where we mentor states and locals on building capacity and capability. An example of that is Florida and Texas. Really two shining beacons of success with emergency management. It took many years to build and implement some of those resources and infrastructure there, and they've done some unbelievable work. In fact, they even They're some of the only states that have actual individual assistance programs, whereas many other states do not.
▶ 0:17:23Um so, what we are looking at specifically is finding ways to more closely target risk reduction outcomes for states with future grants, and to ensure that states are able and empowered to assume a greater role, mostly in what we consider long-term exorbitant recovery costs in So, then how does that How is that consistent with the intent of the Stafford Act, which is built around principle of federal support when state and local capabilities are exceeded? You're right.
▶ 0:17:49And the Stafford Act there is very clear on the role in which the federal government plays a resource in assisting those who are overwhelmed. The problem is we've created financial incentives for the continuation of that and even expanded levels. We've kind of lowered disaster thresholds. We've used other criteria that, to be honest, are a little bit too soft for my opinion, um that have incentivized financially a lack of carrying insurance policies, as well as lower disaster thresholds, which are probably not the best use of my staff. This isn't to say that states aren't in need.
▶ 0:18:19We know they are. But we have to raise the threshold so that FEMA can truly prioritize efforts where the state is in fact overwhelmed. We have a variety of disaster declarations that we've seen that have come to FEMA where the state has also been required to state publicly they have enough insurance to take out a plan and actually execute payments for the cost that they've incurred.
▶ 0:18:39This is an imbalance where states have used FEMA as a financial backstop, where we believe it's more applicable and appropriate for FEMA to be a utilized resource in the event the state is actually overwhelmed with resources. Okay. Thank you. I want to raise a recent memo from your office to FEMA's regional leadership where you state that, quote, "FEMA will discontinue unaccompanied FEMA door-to-door For years, FEMA staff have gone door-to-door in disaster areas, meeting survivors where they are, walking them through aid applications, and registering them for support.
▶ 0:19:09Unaccompanied canvassing is used when time, staffing, or operational priorities demand rapid outreach. These boots on the ground are not symbolic. For many survivors, FEMA staff are the first people who show up to help. They're often the only meaningful point of contact for people who are unable to travel or navigate complex systems on their own and alternate virtual or telephone options are not sufficient.
▶ 0:19:33This change will disproportionately hurt disabled Americans, seniors, rural residents, and caregivers, people who through no fault of their own don't have a car. They don't have broadband access. They don't have the ability to leave a vulnerable family member after a disaster to travel hundreds of miles to disaster recovery centers or FEMA sites in some instances. Frankly, this policy decision reflects a broader and troubling trend from this administration, reducing in-person access to essential federal services.
▶ 0:20:02From Social Security field offices to IRS walk-in centers to now FEMA, we are watching critical points of service become increasingly out of reach for the very people who need them the most. When I think about who gets hurt, we're talking about people with disabilities. We're talking, you know, we've seen things like, "Oh, you can go to a Or just go online. Or call a 1-800 number. After a disaster comes through, the internet doesn't work, right? Like the telephone lines and the cell towers may be down.
▶ 0:20:33And for rural Americans, people with disabilities, for our seniors, they need help. And it's the responsibility, particularly in the crisis, for our federal government to be there for our fellow Americans. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. The chair now recognizes Mr. Rutherford. To get me a different microphone. I mean, now I'm recognizing Mr. Rutherford. The floor is yours for 5 minutes for questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 0:21:02You know, I have to say, uh, Director, I I I believe in the federalist concept of subsidiarity. I think you do, too, based on your opening comments.
▶ 0:21:17Uh this idea that the federal government has to run everything, you recognize that they don't um by pointing out the regional domestic security task forces that are operating in in Florida, the system in in uh Texas. We We need to take responsibility for our own disasters. We've done that in in the state of Florida, in the state of Texas. Uh we've put together these systems.
▶ 0:21:46Our people aren't left Our Our Our people aren't left to their own device. The state is there. What and and this president is not turning his back on assisting people when the disaster relief fund is being plused up by $4 billion. I'm not cutting uh assistance to to people in in real need. And the difference is, and I and I think you touched on it as well, is what is the real need?
▶ 0:22:17How much of these incidents uh is the federal government uh responsible for and should be called on to handle? The The idea that uh somehow FEMA shows up and handles everything for the that's not true. It It's certainly not true in the state of Florida.
▶ 0:22:38and and one of the problems that we are having, and I would and I would uh like to ask a question about this, is the issue uh surrounding some of the payments. Um and and I think this gets into the issue of subsidiarity because when you try to drive everything to the top, uh things slow down.
▶ 0:23:01And so, if you really want the individual members of your community to be able to get the assistance that they need in a timely manner, let's do it at the ground level. not rely on FEMA to come in and and somehow rescue us. That's not what we need. You know, I see this move too in the in the law enforcement field. This idea that we need to nationalize state and local law enforcement, absolutely not.
▶ 0:23:29The the the depth and the breadth of the security domestic security in America is based on that diffuse responsibility among over 3,000 law enforcement agencies in the country. We don't need somebody to come in and handhold us and walk us through everything in our lives. We have a responsibility back home. I can tell you our governor does a fantastic job.
▶ 0:23:56And uh this is just a this is a fight between those who want to be taken care of and those who want to take care of themselves. I want to take care of ourselves. And uh now, we may need some assistance funding, for example, but beyond that, get it to us quickly so that we don't have to pay all the interest. But uh but but beyond that, I I think that's the role that uh that FEMA should be playing.
▶ 0:24:25And to for anybody to indicate that that President Trump is turning his back on disaster relief when he's plused up the budget uh $4 billion from 22 to like 26.5, it's quite the contrary.
▶ 0:24:44That uh so so my question is are there things that we can that we can do within the uh FEMA system to get the money out, get it out uh more on time. Uh can you talk to that a little bit, Director? Of course. It's a fantastic question, and you're right. You know, federalism is not always clean. It comes with a give and take, and it comes with the partnership. There's a a mantra that I believe very firmly in.
▶ 0:25:13Strong states lead towards a strong nation. And it has to be stratified in that way. Strong states are built from strong counties and localities, even adjacent down to that. So, from my perspective, we've created an environment where FEMA has been pushed to amalgamate more responsibilities in a way that's created an unhealthy imbalance in the proper And so, as a result, it has created a lot of bureaucratic inefficiencies that are not the most prudent. We do have some I completely sympathize with your statements about receiving payments.
▶ 0:25:42There are some challenges that we have there, and we're looking at some new technology to make that more rapid and faster. I do I will also want to say that we've reinitiated payments very quickly because of the court order that's been going on. So, we are making payments currently, and we're also looking at EHP requirements and many other regulatory controls that allow us to pay out recipients and get grants to move to completion faster. That's what states deserve. Exactly. Thank you. Uh it seem my time is uh used up. Uh yield back.
▶ 0:26:12Thank you, Mr. Rutherford. We now recognize the gentleman from the Lone Star State, Mr. Cuellar. The floor is yours for 5 minutes for questions. Uh thank you uh Mr. Chairman, and and uh thank you again for your service, uh the military service and the work that you're doing, and certainly thank all the men and women. Uh I'm from the state of Texas. I think you mentioned both Texas and Florida. Look, I I can understand where Texas has been doing well.
▶ 0:26:38Uh I can understand the role of the state, but when there's a national disaster, I think the federal government plays a role to coordinate and put resources. When Harvey hit Texas, and you might correct me on the Texas uh which does pretty well ask FEMA for about $15 billion. So, even the models that we have out there, the states do well, but there's a role for FEMA, especially for national disasters.
▶ 0:27:07Now, I understand what I think the president's trying to do, find efficiencies, and I can say this for the record, before we had DOGIE or DODGE, Texas was doing Texas Alabama says that. Or maybe Mississippi, but we were doing that in the state of Texas. We actually did performance based budget, and I was involved with John Sharp.
▶ 0:27:30And we actually saved the state of Texas billions of dollars without cutting employees, without cutting services. We just found the efficiencies, the duplications, and we did that in the '90s. And talking about billions of dollars in the '90s, that's a lot of money. You using this dollar. So, I am for this, and I want to give you a couple of that Y'all might want to consider.
▶ 0:27:54There the current law right now, which is the Government Performance Results Modernization Act of 2010, was passed passed by bipartisan coalition here in in in Congress. It calls for certain things. It calls for and I'll talk about four different things. Operational regulatory efficiency reviews, and I'll go I can sit down, but let me just go.
▶ 0:28:18It calls for conducting annual operation reviews evaluating component department performance against strategic performance goals according to the law. It conducts should conduct comprehensive review of department departmental regulations, policy, and guidance that they identified as duplicate, obsolete, inefficient and of course submit should submit that to the appropriations.
▶ 0:28:49And it goes on, you know, looking for operation efficiency cost ways of doing this. Number one, operation regulatory efficiency. It's the law right now. Number two, contracting and procurements and there's a law that comes into play chapter 13 of title 31. And basically what we're doing is contracts. What happened to the old unbudget and on time?
▶ 0:29:16Almost every single project that I've seen as a member of Congress is not on budget, is not on And and basically, you know, you start off with open competition. I'm just You look at provisions requiring performance on the budget, but you put provisions on budget and on time. On it.
▶ 0:29:38And then you incorporate and the laws there, but I don't know how good we are incorporate financial penalties for unjustified cost overruns. And we see this when an agency runs over time, what's the first thing they do? I don't care if it's the military homeland. I've seen this everywhere. They come and ask Congress for more money. We need more money, otherwise we're not going to be able to finish this project. But in other places, and I'm sure the states do. We do this in Texas.
▶ 0:30:07On time, the the Texas Department Transportation is probably the best example highways and all that. It's on time and on budget is the is the emphasis that we need to do that. And I'll be happy to share some of this other language. Performance measures development of updated performance measures. If we put in $1, are we getting $1 back? What's the one back bang for the dollar that we get?
▶ 0:30:32If you look at all and I think you all have performance measures, but the problem is you all do them by yourselves and and I'm not talking about you, but any agency, they pat themselves, they get the best performance measures, they don't share it with Congress, and we have no idea how they're performing on that.
▶ 0:30:50And then finally, the last part is we, you know, we not only develop and submit the updated performance measures, but quarterly performance review, operation reviews and efficient initiatives, show us that progress toward regulatory modernization itself.
▶ 0:31:08And I know we do a lot of CRs, and some people agree, some people don't agree, but there are some regulations that are really outdated and are duplicate and are inefficient, and we've done that in in in states, and I think we need to do that. So, there's some highlights of things that we can look at, and again, I'm I'm with you. I want to find that efficiency, I want to find this, but can we do it without cutting services, and can we do it without cutting employees?
▶ 0:31:37And again, and again, it can be done cuz we did this in the '90s before we had doggie dodge, and and it worked. It really works. I mean, the efficiency and effectiveness, what y'all doing, if you can include the members of Congress, I think we can find some efficiencies. So, I'll be happy to share with you. I'm going to ask the chairman if he be willing to add this as bill language in the appropriations.
▶ 0:32:05Thank you, and I appreciate Sorry about speechifying, but we're on the same page. We've just got to find a different way of getting to the end goal. Thank you for your service. First of all, for for your request Yes, Because you were mindful during the phonics lesson a while back on it's not new j, it's nugget. And it's not dodge, it's doggie. That's phonics.
▶ 0:32:33And I will certainly be open-minded to your proposal regarding billing. Yeah, doggy. Now I I would like to go to the beacon of questioning on the committee. The gentleman from Washington, Mr. Newhouse, the floor is yours for 5 minutes. I go over time once and then One time. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Ranking Member and also Acting Administrator, I can't go through your whole title. That's too long. It's It's pretty long. Yeah. Appreciate you being here with us, too, Mr.
▶ 0:33:03Also appreciate your former military service to our country. Um I would agree modernizing FEMA's somewhat say antiquated system uh and their assets will allow you to execute more efficiently. In fact, in the uh strategic plan, it's noted that FEMA must transform how the agency delivers support so that partners can increase their capacity.
▶ 0:33:32And I think you're you're living proof that that's the goal. Uh to to be able to manage future In the written testimony, you also state that FEMA requires funding resources and the expertise to improve and replace dated information technology and security services as well as additional support for the Integrated Public Alert Warning Service. So, all good stuff. Wanted to ask you a couple questions surrounding that. And if you don't mind, I'll put them all together and you can take what it what you could.
▶ 0:34:00Could you speak to the tangible actions and technologies that you're evaluating Waiting to deliver on this first. And also, how might FEMA use advanced technologies to better coordinate with other federal agencies to ensure that taxpayer funds able to recover faster and are used more efficiently so communities are are better served.
▶ 0:34:23Do you have a clear idea of the level of funding or resources cuz given that what we've seen in the skinny budget, there's only noted reductions in certain areas of grant programming. And is the agency currently working to update the strategic plan? Uh so, all great questions.
▶ 0:34:40Um I would say that to start on your first point, the tech solutions that we're looking to innovate, one of the first things that I saw by coming at FEMA, given my past emergency management background, but also my background in response and recovery operations, was that we didn't have an information portal that was fast at embedding programmatic information, but also giving us a snapshot for a whole portfolio. It's very challenging to show a cost-benefit analysis.
▶ 0:35:02It's very challenging to have aggregated data that can give you informed decision-making with metrics, statistics, and real-time information so that you can see clear trending lines early. Our goal, again, my role here as the administrator of FEMA, even in an acting capacity, is to be the principal advisor to the president and the secretary on disasters and emergency management. They need as much decision-making space as possible so that they can make informed decisions and give us initiatives and agendas to execute when it comes to mission success.
▶ 0:35:32So, the better we innovate our technology, this the more improvement we'll have in that space as well. One of the key proposals we had was a disaster information portal. The idea of when you order a pizza from Domino's, you know when it was ordered, when it goes in the oven, when it comes out of the oven, when it's ready for pickup and sliced and in a box. Yet, we don't have that same level of approach towards guiding and mentoring applicants through the process of applying for public assistance or individual assistance. That's complex. That's unacceptable.
▶ 0:36:00We have individual survivors who wait weeks to get responses, sometimes months before they get payouts, who are in significant financial dire straits. You have municipalities that extend significant leverage like you mentioned before, Mr. Rutherford, carrying these We're overhauling the manner in which we engage with our state, local, tribal, territorial partners, as well as individual survivors to be faster and more compelling. That's one of the specific solutions to create a system of systems, truly an information environment. I've helped orchestrate and build some of those before at DHS.
▶ 0:36:31This will be much more larger and come more comprehensive and we're very excited about the solutions that it would And with that comes coordination with partners. Looking at three principal user bases where we allow our external partners to include members of Congress to have cleared staff who can have access to survivor information if self-selected so that you can track on cases. If you have a constituent that calls you and they say, "Hey, I'm not getting a response from FEMA." We want to create a system where your staff can log in, see it clearly. FEMA's giving you chats, features.
▶ 0:37:01It's You're not waiting on a phone call for 3 or 4 days. You're You're getting real-time feedback that's dynamic and we mentor them through those application processes to get them to success. And to be very clear and transparent among If they don't qualify, we want them to know why. We want there to be transparency. So, those are some of the several solutions that we're hoping to implement that I think will really overhaul and change how we interact with both localities and jurisdictions as well as individual survivors, sir. Awesome.
▶ 0:37:27I appreciate that response and I look forward to working with you on that and to prevent further reprimands, I'm going to yield my time back, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, sir. Touché to my colleague from Washington Yeah. Yeah, that that'll be the next I'm not from there. The chair now recognizes the gentle lady from the high-altitude portion of Texas. Uh Ms. Escobar, the floor is yours for 5 minutes.
▶ 0:37:57Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And Mr. Hamilton, thank you for your service and thanks for being here. It was my honor. Um I I share the concerns that our ranking member laid out. I have never seen FEMA as a a an organization that the American people are dependent on or that states are dependent on.
▶ 0:38:21I've seen FEMA as a partner to states and to localities and I'm really concerned about what I have heard from Secretary Noem and from the president about eliminating FEMA. I certainly hope that doesn't I am all in on common sense reforms and and frankly, I think there's plenty of room in FEMA for some common sense reforms.
▶ 0:38:46I I'm not a champion of the status quo at FEMA and so I I look forward to working together on those reforms, but I think the context for my concern about FEMA and some of these obligations being pushed down to the state is because even in Texas, I have seen deficiencies that have impacted my I I also think the greater context is cuts that are coming to state and local governments
▶ 0:39:17at the federal level. I've heard from my local governments um tribal communities very concerned about potential cuts to Medicaid, nutrition programs. So layering this added onto localities at such a a challenging time for local governments and state governments, that's that's another area of concern for me, but I will tell you I I have some very specific
▶ 0:39:47local questions that I'd I and I hope to be able to work with you on these issues. The first question is around the UASI funding. And El Paso was relegated to an unfunded status sometime ago and had previously enjoyed being able to receive UASI funding.
▶ 0:40:09My local government, the local municipality, the city of El Paso has tried working with FEMA to try to access and they've been unsuccessful and I would really love your help in thinking through what needs to happen so that the city of El Paso can once again um have access to those funds. We have major land ports of entry. Uh we have a major military installation.
▶ 0:40:39Um there's a number of reasons why those uh why that UASI funding uh could and should be helpful to the community. Um so I'm wondering if you if you can can commit to to working with us on on gaining access once again. I can't promise an outcome, but I absolutely commit myself, my staff to working with you and to better understanding your challenges and to help find solutions that make sense and to ensure that you're informed on exactly how rationals are determined.
▶ 0:41:08Uh because if if states and cities and jurisdictions are eligible and qualified, we certainly want to ensure that they get the resources necessary. Great. That would be super helpful. We've seen other communities who were relegated to this status uh gain access, so we'd like to be one of those success stories. Um the other pot of funding I'd like to talk to you is about is the SAFER grants. We have emergency services districts which are the special districts um firefighters, volunteer firefighters.
▶ 0:41:39They're uh taxing entities as well. Um but would love your thoughts on on how we can help our emergency services districts access some of those SAFER grants. So I'm a a big advocate for the SAFER grants. We have a decision memo that we are hoping to be able to fund many of those programs. Again, that's pending the department approval. And I will tell you I was formerly the director of emergency medical services at DHS headquarters. Uh I'm also a first responder, former combat medic and paramedic currently.
▶ 0:42:09So the care and funding for our first responders is crucial. It's very near and dear to me cuz I've spent two decades as a first responder in some capacity. Um so, I look forward to working with you more. Look forward to ensuring that our first responder communities get the appropriate funding they deserve. Great. Thank you. Look forward to that as well. Um like my colleagues, I'm concerned about FEMA's recent decision to cancel BRIC funding for previous recipients.
▶ 0:42:35Um not only is it illegal because this is funding that Congress appropriated, it's also devastating for the communities that applied for this funding and were allocated it uh for critical projects.
▶ 0:42:48Um it is unfortunate that we're holding this hearing without a full budget, but President Trump has made it clear that he he can violate the orders of Congress, um which makes me nervous about a number of other programs and grants that our communities rely on. Um I'm wondering if there are any plans at at FEMA to cancel any other programs or funds that have been allocated by Uh excuse me. I thought I was running out of time.
▶ 0:43:18Uh so, to answer your question on BRIC particularly, uh we we found a lot of inefficiencies with the design of the program itself, which caused us to have serious concern over whether it was the appropriate use of taxpayer funds. There were many projects that were funded that we we believe were very wasteful. Uh but there are also projects that were fully funded that we intend to move forward to completion. We're unpacking and analyzing that. Every grant recipient under BRIC should receive some form of notification. And oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman. Would you like me to continue? I'm going over my I want to be respectful of you, sir.
▶ 0:43:49I'll tell you what, Mr. Acting Administrator. Thank you for being much more concerned about it than any of my members on this committee. Please continue and finish your answer to to Ms. Escobar's question and feel free to hold a FEMA instruction class out in the hall at the conclusion of this hearing for other members is the committee. I'll very good. Oh, thank you, sir. Um I will say that as it pertains towards current grant recipients, we're we're kind of unpacking them in several different buckets.
▶ 0:44:14Those that have obligations that were made, if the projects were ongoing, we intend to continue funding for many of those projects in a systematic review. And again, recipients should be receiving this information here very soon, if not already. That's through our regional offices. They're a major problem that we found with the BRIC program itself is there are really unliquidated balances in which work was not moving towards completion or work was stagnating for years, going back to 2020.
▶ 0:44:42It was tying up a lot of money within the DRF, and projects were not moving forward in a succinct manner. That was an exceptional problem that we identified. Uh there's So, there's a variety of different elements of what we're trying to look at to make sure that the future of mitigation investment is reasonable, and we create financial incentives for states to move faster, but we're also looking at our own regulatory requirements, and things we can simplify so that we don't put impediments and barriers in state and and uh localities' way of executing fully on these projects.
▶ 0:45:11And I'd love to specifically speak with you about some of the projects in your district, uh your concerns and evaluation, so that we can ensure that you fully understand from our context things that the administration are going to prioritize for investment. Generally, you're going to be looking at the profile of risk reduction, as well as preparedness and or um uh you know, capability building. And so, the future of grants at FEMA are going to kind of be profiled that way. We're working with OMB on some ideas.
▶ 0:45:42Before any decisions are made on that, I promise you that we'll be coming to you all to uh solicit some input and insight so that you can share and collaborate with us, cuz we do want to create a mechanism that makes the most sense. Uh I'm out of time, but we will definitely circle back with you on these issues. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you, ma'am. Uh the chair now recognizes the gentle lady from the state whose state flower is the wild prairie rose, Ms. Hinson. The floor is yours for 5 minutes for Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is the wild rose.
▶ 0:46:12We also have the goldfinch, and we have a lot of FEMA disasters in Iowa. So, thank you very much for the time. Thank you, ranking member Underwood, for holding this, and thank you, um, acting administrator Hanlon-Tharp, for joining us today. Really appreciate you answering our questions, and, um, it is nice to see under President Trump's leadership really having and Secretary Noem, who we had a chance to question yesterday, things return to the core of mission, and that's really I really appreciate what you said in your opening comments about that because we've seen FEMA go from being the response agency for hurricanes, disasters like derechos and
▶ 0:46:42tornadoes in Iowa, to funeral directors, right? I mean, in essence, the the the mission has just strayed so far from what you should be doing. So, I am really, really excited to see how you're addressing these operational priorities and and really focus on protecting taxpayers. Um, I do want to make sure that, um, the services that you are providing to states like mine, um, that our constituents are not caught up in the bureaucratic red tape.
▶ 0:47:04You know, when we look at the the slow, complex processes, you talked a lot about some of those efficiencies that you're looking to find for for folks the woman who you held at her most vulnerable moment, right? I mean, I think we've all been there and experienced those stories in our districts, and, um, I don't want to see funding funneled to, um, larger communities leaving rural states at a disadvantage just because they're competing for resources for political purposes.
▶ 0:47:27Um, under Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden, the shelter and services program, we saw that directing those resources towards sanctuary cities. I want to see resources going to to Iowans and Meskwaki tribe tribal folks in my district who are fighting for those resources. So, um, how are you addressing concerns on that bureaucracy and inefficiency at FEMA while ensuring that, um, those needs are still those needs are really still still met at the community level? Uh, thank you for the question.
▶ 0:47:52I can tell you particularly on the SSP matter, when I actually interviewed and I was selected, that was the first thing that I had addressed is my concern over this forcing of non-emergency management responsibilities within an agency to dispense reimbursement funds for housing and housing illegal aliens. It's completely disconnected from the core mission of what this agency is meant to be managed. That's part of the inherent bureaucracy of how we sort of got here from being perfectly transparent. FEMA has been a catch-all for a lot of things.
▶ 0:48:23Why? Because we move money very fast and we have lots of people. We can have resources and infrastructure in a way that many states don't have the ability to manage. We manage 97% of all DHS grants. That's inherently a problem unto itself in my personal opinion because we have responsibilities that are not FEMA-centric being paid out by FEMA in a way that I don't think was originally intended to the Stafford Act when you look at what the terms of emergency management was meant to entail. The continuation of emergency operations in the event of catastrophe.
▶ 0:48:53That's really what that definition means. So, we are looking at a variety of ways to cut bureaucracy, make programs easier to understand. We're also trying to ask that agencies which are having grant programs step up more to actually manage the program. We don't have actual disbursement authorities to where we can pay individual survivors. We have to go through HHS or others. There's some of those kind of bureaucratic inefficiencies which I know was designed because of the Economy Act. I recognize the efficiencies there. That does make sense.
▶ 0:49:22But it has created additional layers we have to go through and gateways which are complicated. We did a manual review process. There's four different systems through which data is spilled down to then ultimately dispense payment. That's insufficient. We're looking to overhaul everything so that we can be faster. I want survivors to get paid in hours or days, not weeks, months, or God forbid years. And so we're implementing a lot of things to make that faster. Well, and certainly many of the cities that I I know are probably watching this today.
▶ 0:49:52I know Cedar Rapids, Marion, like I mentioned the Meskwaki tribe. These folks have been waiting They waited a long time. They paid the interest on that and that is a huge cost to our communities. I want to talk a little bit about public alerts. I appreciate what you said in your It's in your testimony about the the next gen warning system. It's something I'm very very passionate about. So, I want to thank you for highlighting the importance of those critical systems.
▶ 0:50:14And so, in my remaining time, which I know we're running short on, how are you working with these systems to effectively effectively enhance alerting capabilities in in rural communities. These are a lot of grants again that You talk about that process, simplifying that. Let's make sure they get where they're going to go faster. But, how are you working on making sure that is efficient? One of the first things we've entertained is partnering with CISA because it's part of that's within their core responsibilities well in emergency communications.
▶ 0:50:39Looking at how exactly to unpack it, what unique federal authorities we have, and how to target infrastructure in such a way that will be reliant in the event of catastrophe for loss of power, loss of other resources. So, we have a couple different action working groups that we're trying to start up here that will look at more complex situations of how we can solve those problems faster. The You know, the day the technology age is innovating in a whole and unique way. And so, ironically, antiquated technology is coming back as very very resilient.
▶ 0:51:09And so, we're looking at some of those methods, even AM radio, to really make sure that Americans have more options. What we want is redundancy. Yeah. Well, redundancy, resiliency, that's what we need in both of those. Thank you so much. I appreciate your testimony and answering our questions. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you. Now to the the gentleman from the Aloha state, Mr. Case, the floor is yours for 5 minutes for questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh Mr.
▶ 0:51:38Hamilton, in September 24, then candidate Trump, on a visit to Asheville, North Carolina the week of Hurricane Helene stated, "Quote, I think, frankly, FEMA's not good. FEMA has turned out to be a disaster. I think we're going to recommend that FEMA go away. Unquote." On January 22nd, President Trump stated, "Quote, All FEMA does is complicate everything.
▶ 0:52:07FEMA has not done its job for the last 4 years." Um in August of 2023, a once-in-forever wildfire ripped through Maui, in particular Lahaina. the town of Lahaina was destroyed. 102 people died.
▶ 0:52:28Um there were roughly 12,000 2,200 structures destroyed, 12,000 people Uh 7,000 uh people uh directly uh benefiting from FEMA on the ground. FEMA's expenditures uh to date have been north of 700 million direct, and other federal agencies north of $1 billion in response.
▶ 0:52:54Uh economic damage was in the range of 4 to 6 billion dollars, as high as 10 billion plus. We do not, on Maui, based on our own experience, believe that FEMA should go We do not believe that it complicates everything. We do not believe that it didn't do its job.
▶ 0:53:14In fact, FEMA helped us to save the day after a devastating a FEMA has done an excellent job on Maui. And the people in FEMA who did that job for us do not deserve this rhetoric. Do not deserve that rhetoric. And as I said to the secretary yesterday, the campaign is over.
▶ 0:53:40And it's time for us to put this stuff away so that we can have a productive discussion about what federalism means in emergency management. I'm all in on that discussion, but this is not the way to do that. Now, in the subject of trying to understand what your budget means for the Appropriations Committee here, if I understand correctly what your skinny budget indicates is that you are intending to fundamentally continue, if not increase, direct FEMA
▶ 0:54:11disaster relief, so direct relief. In other words, to a disaster. I'm breaking this down into really prevention mitigation, which is pre-disaster, at least in my mind, and then emergency response and recovery on the back end. My understanding is you're not particularly going after the back end, but you're going after the front end, for sure.
▶ 0:54:31And I believe that I understand that somewhere around $3 billion in the FEMA you're proposing to reduce that FEMA non-disaster category by $646 million, which is 20% of that slice. You have directly called out the violence and terrorism prevention grant of $18 million.
▶ 0:54:58You've also directly called out the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium of $91 million. That leaves me with a mass math missing in the non-disaster of $537. Is your view then that that $537 million is subject to a federalism debate and that state and county governments or somebody else should take that over? Primarily, I think in the prevention and mitigation side of this. So, try to keep disasters from occurring to start with.
▶ 0:55:27And consider that if we had prevented from occurring to start with, or anybody whether it be Hurricane Helene or California or Florida or Louisiana. We may not have had a multi-billion dollar federal obligation on the back So, what's going on with your your your your your proposed cuts on the side? What else are you proposing to Yes, sir. That's a great question.
▶ 0:55:55I will tell you that we stand again consistent with the president's agenda on his recommendations for our budget and there are some We're looking to overhaul the grant process entirely. Again, as I mentioned earlier, preparedness versus risk reduction. And so, there's several different grants that you'll likely see in the future of proposed where they're sort of consolidated, made simpler, less grant programs, greater options and and availability.
▶ 0:56:20There's discussions ongoing about what block grants would look like, how they're executed, giving subprograms for them on the preparedness side. And so, we're unpacking each of that as it currently sits. On each of these subgrant uh discussions on what makes up that total number, I'd be happy to follow up with you on more specifics and show you specifically where we're looking at um additional cuts so that we can Okay. Well, we can do that in the remainder of the process. I'm just interested in what you're trying to cut other than the things that you've called out because it's a pretty big cut in that category, 20%.
▶ 0:56:51Thank you. Yes, sir. Gentleman from the Magnolia State, Mr. Guest, is recognized for questions for 5 minutes. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh acting administrator Hamilton, thank you for first for your service, your military service. Thank you for your to the Department of Homeland Security and thank you for agreeing to take on this new role. Um want to um speak briefly.
▶ 0:57:21Um there was some discussions about the fact that uh former that the president when he was running for re-election was talking about defunding FEMA. Uh but it would seem to me that your budget represents something completely Looking at the math, it looks like that you are requesting a 17.5% increase in disaster relief funding.
▶ 0:57:46But there is a desire, I believe, to make FEMA more streamlined, more agile, more responsive because um just looking at an article from PBS, not necessarily what would be considered a beacon of conservatism. In January of last year, they said recovering from national national natural disasters is slow and bureaucratic. Yes, sir. And I think that that's what we have with FEMA now. FEMA has become a bureaucracy. Right. And it FEMA needs to be streamlined.
▶ 0:58:17FEMA needs to be agile. FEMA needs to be able to respond at a moment's notice, which I believe was the intent of FEMA when it was created. And I want to talk just briefly about I know that the president has established a FEMA review council. One of the members on that review council is former governor of the great state of Mississippi, Phil Bryant. And I've had a chance to have some conversations with him, and he is excited to serve. Can you talk a little bit about the FEMA review council, kind of what their mission is?
▶ 0:58:46And what recommendations that you hope that they will return to FEMA that then you can act upon at that point. Yes, sir. That's an excellent question. And I will tell you that the EO, most of us have read the executive order from the president on what the council is and some of the responsibilities. We look at this as really an all-star roster of individuals with the various experiences and backgrounds to give the president their perspective on ways to enhance bureaucratic inefficiencies to make this agency better.
▶ 0:59:16Reform is absolutely something that is necessary for this agency, as we've seen before. I I agree the workforce is tremendous and amazing, and they they do a lot of great work, but there's also systems and processes that are completely antiquated and have to be improved. We're using financial systems using COBOL, which is designed from the 1970s Cold War resilient capabilities with our financial tracking, which my CFO over here will probably be laughing about in the background because it's not exactly the easiest to use.
▶ 0:59:44The review council is an opportunity for us to really grab anything and everything in the area of emergency management about how we can simply get better. Uh the private industry has a lot of insight and concern. The insurance industry is a is a key There's a representative from the insurance industry that's going to be on the review council as well, so that the president can have a whole-of-community approach on all the different equities that touch emergency management and disasters, and then inform him on what the outcomes are or really should be achieved for for ideal scenarios.
▶ 1:00:15I think the review council specifically will be focused on outcomes of of key incidents, so that they can inform the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of DHS to then speak with the president on elements that we can really manage and address within the organization to make us faster and better. Well, first, thank you for establishing and this all-star group. Thank you for thinking outside the box. Also, I do think that we need to do everything within our power for FEMA not to be viewed as a bureaucracy.
▶ 1:00:46Our our local governments, state governments as they're seeking help in their time of need, uh we often as members of Congress, we get called by our counties, by our municipalities, and they become extremely frustrated. They become frustrated with the process. They become frustrated with the time it takes for the process to be carried out. And so, anything that we can do to streamline the process, uh to cut the bureaucracy, will be well received.
▶ 1:01:15Uh and speaking of that, before I um surrender the rest of my time, I would be remiss if if I did not talk about a Mississippi specific incident. In March 15th, we had a series of tornadoes that touched through Mississippi, impacted 20 counties, for roughly a quarter of our state, six fatalities. On April the 1st, our governor submitted a request for disaster relief. On the 2nd, there was a letter sent by the delegation in support of that.
▶ 1:01:41Since that time, we our my office has been in touch with members of FEMA, with our White House liaison. And actually spoke with Secretary Mayorkas about this just yesterday when she testified. But I would ask if you could please review that request. Again, this is one of the frustrations that we see.
▶ 1:02:01This is the reason that I believe that FEMA has become a bureaucracy is because it takes weeks and in some cases months to get these disaster requests either approved or denied. So with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you. The gentleman from the Grand Canyon State, Mr. Ciscomani. is recognized for 5 minutes for questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Hamilton, nice to meet you. Thank you so much for being here.
▶ 1:02:27Thank you again as my colleagues have thanked you for your service and your continued service as a first responder and now in this role. Very much appreciate it. I want to talk to you about the about SSP the history of that, you know, from That is one of the great programs that I'm glad to see is no longer needed. Under this administration, under the leadership here, the Service and Shelter Program. I was very frustrated with the for several reasons.
▶ 1:02:56One of them is that it provided a lot of the funding to states that were not border states. States that were actually not being as impacted as my state was on The the federal dollars to the jurisdictions nowhere near the border to deal with the border crisis. And also that many of these jurisdictions accepting and applying for SSP dollars were actually not complying with other parts of the department. So, we saw that go on and on for a number of years.
▶ 1:03:24Many of us were voicing our strong opposition to that. And that's I'm glad to see where it's at now. One of the questions that I've always had and never was answered and maybe you have it now or you could find it for us is do you have any breakdown of how many of these dollars went to southern border communities and non-border communities or states? A breakdown of that. I don't have that here currently on me, but we do have that information. We'd be happy to provide that to you in the full in that.
▶ 1:03:50Secondly to that, if you can or can you work to follow up on on how many dollars went to sanctuary or non-ICE complying jurisdictions? I would also like to know the information. Yes, sir. We'd be happy to follow up with that information again to both you as well as the entire subcommittee with all the information. Yeah. Yeah, very important to know the distinction of how these dollars were used. Um now onto something else here. Um it's been previously brought up by um Ms.
▶ 1:04:15Escobedo previously mentioned here today the initial budget requested regarding the the SAFER and AFG um grant there as well. Uh on that program in my district, the SAFER and AFG grant programs in particular have been critical to providing um state and local agencies with the resources they need to hire more firefighters and uh emergency responders and and much needed equipment and overtime pay for for first responders who are already on the front lines, particularly in the rural communities.
▶ 1:04:44That that's an area that I don't know that's the majority of my my district in terms of geography. Um in my district and and access to these federal dollars is is critical. Um do you can can you just break down for me the the the value that you see in these programs and what um what in them do you see restructuring or potential cut in that or what what what's going to happen So, first as As first responder, I cannot tell you how how important they are for our society and for
▶ 1:05:14our people. They are truly the first line of defense and I will tell you that the assistance to firefighter grant, the safer grant, those are crucially important. It is our hope to be able to move those forward here soon. We have some decision-making conversations with the department on how to ensure that our grants are accountable and transparent for the taxpayer, but it is my hope that we'll be able to move these forward and we'll be able to support these amazing men and women of our fire communities and with the work that they do.
▶ 1:05:38Yeah, I'm I'm I'm all in and and I'm very supportive of of the accountability, the the transparency required in these dollars. I think you're right, part of the part of the challenge with FEMA is so much flows through there, it moves quickly and sometimes, you know, it may maybe sometimes intentionally with little oversight. And that that's that's been the problem. So, I'm glad you're looking into it.
▶ 1:06:01I think the whole effort overall of of of um the government accountability piece of this is to find what is not working and and do away what is not, but also I think in that process you find what is working and where not only should we protect some of these programs and the funding for it and in some cases increase it if if it merits it and if there are metrics that show how it's working. So, hopefully you can you can find that along the way and and you can spot some of the programs like this one that that work.
▶ 1:06:31Uh with the minute that I have left on the on the oversight, speaking of that, uh we heard yesterday from Secretary Noem about the need to restructure FEMA and I understand that there's an ongoing review happening to advise the president on capabilities and needs to address disaster moving forward. Uh while the federal government may not be needed to address every disaster, I do believe that the federal government should continue to focus on reducing the loss of life and and property for major disasters and terrorism.
▶ 1:06:58What what metrics do you believe are are needed to ensure that every dollar um grant dollar is being used effectively within the department? As far as individual metrics, uh that is probably a lengthier conversation we have than the 20 seconds here. 17. Exactly. But I I can tell you that I'll be happy to discuss that with you specifically some of the way in which we rate those. But as it pertains towards disasters, we want to ensure that investments that are made allow communities to recover quickly. In addition to that, we want to be able to analyze overall risk reduction of communities.
▶ 1:07:29Have we actually made them more resilient so that when future incidents occur, you have a less likelihood Um excuse me, Mr. Chairman. I've gone over my time. My apologies. Thank you. Uh you have a less of a likelihood of incurring future cost down the road with repeat kind of repeat offenders, if you will, or repeat incidents that happen routinely and back-to-back. It's our goal to ensure that we bring about resources in a way that doesn't do that. Cuz that's not serving the American people first. That's great. I want to continue that conversation also on the bureaucratic side of things.
▶ 1:07:58So, wait a lot more on that. I'm very interested in something. Again, thank you for being here for your service, and I look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Mr. Administrator, because of the generosity of uh of Mr. Newhouse, we had a couple extra minutes that I could transfer over to the Siskel money account. So, but I appreciate you being mindful of that. The chair now recognizes the distinguished uh uh ranking member for the full committee from the Constitution state, Ms. DeLauro. The floor is yours for 5 minutes of questioning.
▶ 1:08:30Thank you so much, uh Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank you and your ranking member for the hearing. And thank you for pointing out that Connecticut is the Constitution state. Let me just say, Mr. Hamilton, welcome. Welcome to the committee. Thank you. Uh let me um um um address an elephant in the room that chairman of the full committee, Mr. Cole, recently addressed in the media. The status of the Disaster Relief Fund.
▶ 1:08:56We understand the Disaster Relief Fund is expected to end the year with a deficit of $9 billion, dollars, which is before the cost of any further disasters this year. Uh I'm concerned that FEMA is telling states and local governments that they are on their own. Uh we all know that Elon Musk is proposing that disastrous cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service, which will limit uh our ability to forecast deadly storms, provide good information to communities before disaster strikes.
▶ 1:09:22That means communities will make fewer preparations, and the resulting uh uh cost to them will be higher. Is there a request coming for emergency supplemental money based on the dire situation um the Disaster Relief Fund faces? Uh we are not submitting a supplementary this time, ma'am. We're going to allow the appropriation process to move forward, and we we stand by some decisions that we've made that help insulate the DRF to ensure that we don't hit those INF thresholds as quickly as as we have before.
▶ 1:09:52we would like to know what those th- those uh specifics are in that in that effort. Uh is FEMA prepared for the upcoming hurricane season, year-round fire season, with a dangerously low Disaster Relief Fund balance? Uh again, a fantastic question. There are always challenges that we have to work through, and I do think that I have one of the the greatest workforces in the entire federal government who are committed to ensuring that we meet the mission.
▶ 1:10:15So, we are focusing on ways to make us operationally more capable, um and also finding ways to be more fiscally practical with our means so that we don't buttress up against those kind of thresholds nearly as quickly as Is is is so you're not going to address the 9 billion-dollar deficit, or what you're going to tell us is how you're going to address that 9 billion-dollar deficit that we anticipate for the Disaster Relief Fund? So, you're going to get us that information. We will.
▶ 1:10:42We'd be more than happy to provide you specifics on exactly the the decisions that have been made to plus up the DRF using other existing funds. Because if I recall, there was a an an estimate that we were about 22 uh billion dollars it was with current um uh disaster efforts that already have occurred around the country.
▶ 1:11:01So, that seems to be interest to see how you square that circle of the 9 plus 20 plus in in meeting the needs of the constituencies that have been hit by by a disaster. Kentucky Governor Beshear pointed out that um and I quote, "Replicating FEMA's administrative functions in each state would be far more costly than a single national agency." End quote.
▶ 1:11:31Um how does the individual state recovery result in an overall savings for the people of America where there have been 1,400 disasters over the past decade? That's a big again, thank you for the question. I would say that we want to find thresholds whereby the states can manage reasonable outcomes and lower-level disasters that may not incur and push FEMA and federal resources into some of those those kind of thresholds unless they meet a very, very high standard and burden.
▶ 1:12:02And so, that's what we're kind of looking at. We're not looking at a future without so you're going to categorize disasters low, medium, high and then then then make a determination of you know, states whatever else, federal dollars, etc. So, you're going to just categorize every one of these these disasters that occur so that they fit in a bucket of where they're going to get where the money is going to come from. It's a little more complex than that.
▶ 1:12:31I'll say what we're looking at is the ideas of when investments are made, what is the overall impact, what's the state's actual capability. We're looking at proposals that even require states to demonstrate what their insurance levels are, things of that nature so that we can analyze each state and territory on an individual basis and assess their Okay. If that it would be very helpful, I think, to this committee for us to know what the criteria is going to be with regard to that.
▶ 1:12:58Let me just um yesterday the secretary uh testified. Secretary Long testified. Quite honestly, I found her responses confusing and inadequate. In response to my question asking her about whether or not this administration seeks to eliminate FEMA, this was her response.
▶ 1:13:15And I quote, "President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many many circumstances has failed the American people and that FEMA as it exists today should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters uh with federal government uh support." Um a clear answer. Does this administration seek to eliminate FEMA?
▶ 1:13:43And do you support eliminating FEMA? Mr. Chairman, would you like me to answer the question? Please. I'm not going to let you off that easy. Please No, I I completely understand. As the senior advisor to the president Yeah. on disasters and emergency management and to the secretary of homeland security Yeah. I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
▶ 1:14:09Having said that, I'm not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the President of the United States and this governing body on identifying the exact ways and methodologies in which what is prudent for federal investment and what is not. Mhm.
▶ 1:14:29If that answers your Well, that's why I say it was a confusing answer because I can only determine from that answer uh that uh FEMA as it exists today should be Those are They're not my words. Eliminated. And so I I I hear your answer and it should be they you know, between the uh executive and the governing body because we are the United States Congress that makes those decisions.
▶ 1:14:55the secretary also in the secretary's um uh uh testimony, she said they were there was dysfunction at FEMA. I asked about dysfunction and examples of dysfunction. Uh there were uh unable to provide me with any of that yesterday. I would hope in a conversation with her that you might let us know but what is dysfunctional um uh with with FEMA so that we can address those issues.
▶ 1:15:24Um now, uh absent any examples, what I do have is a list of state-by-state federal disaster relief funding that has been provided over the past 20 years including $2 billion to my home state of Connecticut. Just this past August, FEMA was instrumental in helping the residents of my state respond to build back from the damage caused by historic flooding.
▶ 1:15:45The total for all states, DC, and territories is And for information for my colleagues on the subcommittee, Arizona over this period of time $2 billion, $2.1 billion. California $34.8 billion. I mentioned Connecticut, Florida $35.3 billion. Hawaii uh $3.9 billion. Illinois $5.9 uh billion.
▶ 1:16:15Iowa $4.1 billion. Louisiana $56 billion. Mississippi $12.2 billion. Nevada $813 billion. Texas $38.6 billion. Washington state $4.7 billion.
▶ 1:16:31I ask anyone here on this committee, you tell me whether your state government has the ability to be able to provide the kinds of dollars we're talking about to help states recover from a disaster, a natural disaster which they had nothing to do with.
▶ 1:16:49And I think acting director that this is really playing fast and loose with an agency that has provided the opportunity for recovery and rebuilding whether it's for families and businesses. And to be so cavalier and I'm not suggesting you are to say that as FEMA exists now we should eliminate it.
▶ 1:17:17I suggest that there be some hard and fast fast conversations. I appreciate your answer on what your recommendation will be. You know, you're not going to make the final recommendation, but that final recommendation, I believe, resides here. This is the law of the land. This is the power of the purse.
▶ 1:17:34This is what we do and what is being done is unlawful and illegal and we're going to continue to push that point and make it obvious to the people of this country what in fact is about to hit them when all of a sudden the rains come down, the fires blossom, and then there is federal government says, "Well, let's see what category you're in." You know, low-hanging fruit. Maybe okay, maybe this is minimum. Maybe federal government should say something. No. No.
▶ 1:18:01That's not what the federal government ought to be doing and participating in the lives of of our states and our citizens who are they had nothing to do with a disaster, a natural disaster in their communities. Thank you. Now you'll back. Thank you for accommodating me, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, would you mind if I responded to that, sir? Well, we're nowhere near on time, so please proceed. Very good. I appreciate your comments about empathizing with survivors.
▶ 1:18:28I can tell you that I bring my own and personal family experiences of survivors as well. My parents home burned down when I I a Again, I know what it's like to have friends, family, and loved ones who've lost their homes in the fires of Northern California in 2017, where I actually grew up in Sonoma County. Um I I can also tell you what it's like to have family in Western North Carolina personally impacted by recent events. And my parents moved to Florida. They were personally impacted again from the hurricanes that are down there.
▶ 1:18:56My concern and my principal focus with this agency is there is meaningful reform which must take place because we have to make it better, efficient, more solvent, and ensure that we get survivors the assistance they need in a timely manner. I just want to I want you to understand that is my singular focus.
▶ 1:19:15I I appreciate I appreciate your and better meeting the needs And all of us on this committee look to see where one bolster, make, you know, make stronger programs. Look at what works. Look at what doesn't work. But that is not in the jurisdiction of an individual. Our even in the inherent There's no inherent authority for the president to do this.
▶ 1:19:39It is what the Constitution and I'm glad I am from the Constitution state because in fact the Constitution says in Article 1 the power of the purse resides here. You want to make changes? Let's make changes together. This is not a unilateral decision and that is all that we have seen. Not only here, but across the board with what is happening. It's unacceptable. Thank you. Thank you for your, you know, your comments. I appreciate that a lot. No offense to either of the last two speakers, but we're putting this fire out right now. Okay.
▶ 1:20:09Here's the water. Yeah, thank you. even though all of my time has been taken up by others for questioning. Mainly Newhouse. I've got a Yeah. Yeah. It's all Newhouse's fault. Go for it. Yeah, Newhouse. Um just a a couple of quick things and and uh first of all I uh I am pleased to hear that when you're talking about as you're going through this process and you're going to evaluate states that that's not a because I think the point has been made.
▶ 1:20:38It's like I mean next door to me is California which has a phenomenal millions of dollars disaster relief agency or office of emergency whatever they call it. And and just a little bit of the east to those of us from the wrong side of the it's it's quite a bit less. So one size doesn't fit all.
▶ 1:20:59I want to talk a little bit with you about the brick projects and I want to start first of all with It would be nice to know however the however the program goes forward and I assume it will in in in some way shape or form that when FEMA is saying hey we're evaluating a a a request for for a brick grant in Illinois or in Texas or not that you check in with us
▶ 1:21:29and say hey what do you think about this but that you say hey by the way we just awarded one in Podunk wherever. Just so you know and I'll tell you why because in in in the last 6 months where you where you folks were like you know and and I'm not I'm just saying it was news to me to find out that there were three awarded brick projects within 5 miles of my front porch.
▶ 1:21:57And and so the how I found out about it is somebody goes oh my god they're cut and I'm like what are you talking about? And so when you talk about creating a I know I don't want to create a bunch of work but I don't think when you got a when you've got an application from somewhere in Connecticut and you guys in whatever your processes are granted that just a courtesy notice goes out that goes hey DeLauro guess what we just awarded a brick project in wherever Connecticut or wherever Texas or wherever
▶ 1:22:27Hawaii. And And I'll tell you the the reason why that becomes important is because first of all, it gives you a little You'll appreciate the phrase situational But second of all, when you go to 6 months ago and all of a sudden the phone starts ringing and it's like, my funding for whatever is now held up, cut off, whatever, and you got to go back and start from what?
▶ 1:22:50And so, the next part of that is if you decide that you're going to do that, then you've got the database to go, Tom Cole, we're not doing the project in Oklahoma that we had told you about." So, that we have an opportunity to at least interact with you to say, "Can you tell me why?" And I'll tell you why that's important.
▶ 1:23:12I'm not trying to horn in on on your guys's discretion or running your program, but what I am definitely trying to horn in on is not being faced with a situation where it's like, "The bell's already been rung. Now I got to unring a the reason that it bothers me is because when we were playing whack-a-mole with some of these things, like, "What are they? Who's funding them? What's the And you get an answer back from the highest levels, not FEMA.
▶ 1:23:41Well, there was an algorithm and blah blah blah and that's what was handed down to us. And so now, it won't shock you to hear it's like, "Well, we'll see about that." And so now we got to backtrack. You got to backtrack. What kind of shape is it in? So, that it's like I appreciate what you said about communications about disaster relief and all that, but normal operational stuff, it's it's my thought, unless you say you're missing the boat that we can create a deal where we're not playing catch-up.
▶ 1:24:09The last last people in the whole process that know about it are the people in whose districts it's happening. So, we'll check back with you on that, but cuz it's going to happen anyhow. I can guarantee you when we're going through your stuff, one of the things going to be looking somebody's going to go, "Hey, I got bricked or whatever and it had nothing to do with DEI or stuff you know, it's really sexy stuff like backup generators or or a damn reconstruction that isn't the Oroville Dam or something like that." So, um to make
▶ 1:24:39it meaningful for everybody I would appreciate it if you could get us your thoughts on how that And listen, if it's like, "Hey, we're going to need a couple more people or whatever." By all means say that so that we can make that value judgment.
▶ 1:24:52The last thing I'm going to say is I had asked the secretary basically along the same lines yesterday to say, "Hey listen, we're not going to sick you know, zillions of things on you." But every commit every member of this committee was asked to submit three projects that were bricked that were canceled in their district. And and the secretary supported that. I I think you were in attendance so I don't I don't think I'm making that up.
▶ 1:25:16So, I'm going to put a little more teeth to that which we're going to ask that that members on the committee, if you have brick projects that you want basically you guys to say, "Algorithm, here's the evaluation." Whatever it is, I'm not suggesting the answer but and we're trying not to overwhelm you. Yes, sir. I'm going to ask members to submit those to the FEMA administrator by uh 5:00 DC time tomorrow.
▶ 1:25:42I'm guessing you're already aware of some that you want to submit so it's not like Or or listen, if you don't want to submit any, that's fine, too. Uh but that's our deadline and then we'll see and submit them the the appropriations majority office so that we can give them directly to you. Um so, we'll need to know who to give those to but we'll just kind of streamline that process a little.
▶ 1:26:06And then depending on how many we get from these folks sitting around here then we'll talk with you and say, "Here's when we'd like to kind of know." I I I don't think it requires like here's what I did with my summer vacation. here's how they got cut, and so that we know that when it comes time to discuss about what we think about the and that that's got some that's got some guardrails on it. so we can get that feedback in a timely Yes, sir. Mr.
▶ 1:26:34Chairman, I commit to working with you and your team and again this committee to give them the appropriate insight into all the different projects that were unpacked. Uh would you like me to go into some of the rationale with how we came to the determinations or would you rather save some of that for a later date? Thank you for offering, but no. Um nothing personal.
▶ 1:26:53Um so so uh anyhow, I think I think we're at the point where I will say uh we know that you'll be a good partner in the upcoming fiscal year 26 appropriations process, and I accept your commitment that communication between this committee and FEMA will be significantly better moving forward.
▶ 1:27:13I know there's been a lot of transition, and God knows there there probably haven't been many boring weeks, but as we're getting ready to craft the 26 bill from this committee, um you know, the garbage in, garbage out, we're not doing garbage in, garbage out. If we don't have the information, it's going to be a problem. Um and I'm not threatening you, you don't need threatening. Um we don't work that way. It's just we need the information, and I don't think that's a surprise to anybody. We won't surprise you, don't you surprise us.
▶ 1:27:44Yes, sir. Uh just that simple uh even Steven both both uh both ways. Uh for get back questions that members of the subcommittee had today, we ask that you respond within 15 business days. If members submit written questions to you other than the ones we talked about for brick, um we're going to ask that uh that those questions in writing be submitted within a week, and that you and that you respond to those within 25 days.
▶ 1:28:13and I'd like to thank you for being here today and and and enduring the inefficient wielding of the gavel in this process, but you did a good job. We look forward to working with you and the subcommittee stands adjourned. Excellent.