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FEMA’s Disaster Fund Is Almost Depleted. What Happens Next?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is not going to cease operations. But it might need to make some difficult calls.
July 28, 2023

As communities across the United States continue to be overwhelmed by extreme weather, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund — the largest source of federal post-disaster assistance — is likely heading into the red.
“Right now, we anticipate a shortfall towards the mid and end of August,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at a congressional hearing earlier this month.
To address the most pressing question right off the bat: No, this doesn’t mean FEMA is going to cease operations any day now or be unavailable to assist places impacted by disasters in the weeks to come. But it is worth understanding how FEMA got here and the sort of difficult calls the agency might need to make if its prediction comes to pass.
Taking it back to the basics, FEMA defines the disaster relief fund as “an appropriation against which FEMA can direct, coordinate, manage, and fund eligible response and recovery efforts” for federally-declared disasters and emergencies. These dollars can be put toward works like removing debris after a disaster and repairing public infrastructure, as well as preparing for future disasters and giving impacted residents financial aid. That means the funding both makes things happen quickly after disaster strikes and is a source of ongoing assistance in the months or even years that follow. When making a request for next year’s budget, Criswell described the disaster relief fund as a “vital function to our nation’s readiness posture.”
The fund is typically filled through congressionally-approved appropriations, including supplemental appropriations in response to specific disasters. In line with other disaster spending, these costs have spiked in recent years in response to increasingly extreme weather events and the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released last year, disaster relief fund spending was around $5 billion annually between 1992-2004; from 2005-2021, the annual average was more than triple that at $16.5 billion.

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