Senator Collins Co-Chairs Hearing on Disaster Relief Supplemental Request

11.20.24

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Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, co-chaired a full Committee hearing on the President's disaster relief supplemental funding request for communities affected by recent natural disasters, including Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Today's hearing featured two panels of witnesses: U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Panel I and Secretary of Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Administrator of the Small Business Administration Isabel Guzman, Deputy Secretary of Department of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman, and Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell on Panel II.

Full transcript of Senator Collins' opening remarks:

"I want to begin my remarks this morning by commending Chair Murray for her bipartisan leadership and hard work during the past two years. This hearing is a great example of her approach. It demonstrates her effective commitment to carefully reviewing budget requests, and it was scheduled very quickly, so that we could meet the needs of our nation, and really exemplifies the bipartisan leadership that she has demonstrated, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with her in the next two years.

"I want to thank our witnesses today, particularly Senators Tillis and Ossoff, for being with us. Senator Tillis and I have had-I've lost count of the number of conversations that we've had about his state's needs following the recent horrific flooding in western North Carolina, and I look forward to both Senators sharing their perspective with our committee.

"From The wildfires in the West, flooding in the Northeast, drought throughout the plains, and hurricanes in the South, it seems that no region of the country has been spared from destruction caused by severe weather.

"Last winter, Maine's coast was hit with a pair of ferocious storms that wiped out portions of our state's iconic working waterfront. I toured storm-battered sites in Harpswell and Bailey Island last January, and heard from many fishermen, lobstermen and women, that it was the worst storm damage that they had ever experienced. In fact, the State of Maine estimates that it took out about 50% of our fishing infrastructure in our state.

"When disaster strikes, the American people should have faith in federal efforts to help them. That goes for everyone, regardless of political beliefs. Like many of my colleagues, I was angered by recent reports that a FEMA supervisor had directed relief workers to avoid Florida hurricane victims' homes that displayed Trump signs. This outrageous act stands in stark contrast to the very purpose of disaster relief and the trust that we have placed in the agency. There needs to be an Inspector General investigation to help ensure that all those responsible for playing politics with vulnerable people's lives and homes are held accountable. We must make sure that this discrimination and indifference to suffering can never happen again.

"Turning now to the nearly $100 billion request we received earlier this week, unsurprisingly, the largest request is for FEMA's disaster relief fund. This fund provides the necessary resources to assist communities, individuals, and families affected by disasters all across our nation. Every state in the nation has had a disaster declared in recent years and has relied on FEMA for response and recovery, including several Maine communities affected by last year's winter storms. The disaster relief fund, as the Chair noted, is rapidly nearing exhaustion, with less than $5 billion in the fund today. The current balance is partly due to the catastrophic impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which have already cost more than $7 billion in immediate response funding, even before recovery work has begun in earnest. We must replenish the fund so that FEMA can continue to respond to disasters affecting any of our states. While FEMA takes the lead for immediate disaster response, the Small Business Administration and the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development work to rebuild critical infrastructure, assist small businesses, and help communities address long-term recovery challenges.

"Today, we will also discuss the multiple disasters facing our farmers and rural communities. In addition to battling severe weather events, many farmers are facing an economic crisis. Net farm income has dropped, many commodity prices have significantly decreased, and there has been a major increase in input and operational costs due to inflation. I've heard from farmers in Maine who are struggling to stay afloat. They are doing all that they can to stay in operation, but many are being forced to cease operating. Maine alone has seen more than 600 farms shut down in the past decade. Once we lose these farms, most often, they are gone forever. We must ensure that our farmers and rural communities have the resources needed to produce and protect our nation's food supply.

"While this hearing is focused on the need for disaster response funding, I would be remiss if I did not point out that one of the best ways we can help our states and communities is to pass the full-year appropriations bills. This year, our committee came together and passed 11 of the 12 appropriations bills with strong bipartisan support. In fact, six of the bills were reported unanimously. These bills include the base funding needed to help communities address critical development and infrastructure needs, support our farmers, and protect our nation. Unfortunately, our committee reported bills have languished on the Senate's calendar because of the Majority Leader's decisions. I hope that we can reverse this approach in the next few weeks, and we'll work with members on both sides of the aisle to try to make that happen.

"In the next Congress, we must redouble our efforts to restore regular order, to promote transparency, get bills enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year, and give all members a voice in the enactment of appropriations bills.

"I look forward to our discussion today. Thank you, Madam Chair."

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