WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, The Hill published an op-ed by Senator Thom Tillis on the importance for elected officials in Congress to step up and be proactive with long-term disaster recovery assistance.
Read the full op-ed HERE.
Tillis on North Carolina’s recovery from Helene:
“The recovery process will be long and difficult and will require years and billions of dollars of assistance. That is why it is so important for elected officials in Congress to step up and be proactive — not reactive — with long-term disaster recovery assistance. This is why I have led a bipartisan group of senators in disaster-hit states calling on Congress to end its seven-week recess and come back to Washington to pass a disaster funding package that initiates the long-term recovery process for victims and communities ravaged by Helene and Milton.”
Tillis on the need to replenish the SBA Disaster Loan Fund and FEMA Disaster Relief Fund:
“The most pressing need is to replenish the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan fund, which has already run out of money. Few Helene victims have flood insurance, so the SBA’s various disaster recovery programs are key to long-term recovery. By utilizing these programs, victims can access low-interest loans to replace lost property or repair or rebuild their homes or small businesses. The loans can also be used to provide a financial cushion for small businesses that face an economic loss in the months ahead due to the storm. Now that funding for the SBA disaster loan program has run out, it risks delays in processing storm victims’ loans and their ability to get their lives back together. We cannot let this continue to go on.
“FEMA is also in danger of running out of money in its Disaster Relief Fund. The hurricane season isn’t over until November and the National Hurricane Center is already monitoring tropical disturbances that could turn into more full-blown storms. It may only get worse.”
Tillis on the broken disaster response and recovery process:
“The fact is, the federal disaster response and recovery process is broken and many Americans understandably have concerns. First, there are questions about prioritization. It was telling that in a 24-hour period in the wake of Helene, the Biden-Harris administration bragged about sending $100 million in transportation funding to rebuild roads in Western North Carolina as it also pledged $157 million in assistance to Lebanon. That is reflective of an administration that can’t read a room and doesn’t have its priorities in order. Wrong message, wrong time. Additionally, there has been a big political dust-up over FEMA money being used for illegal immigrants. This confusion could have been avoided if FEMA had been laser-focused on its mission to respond to natural disasters. FEMA should never have become a funding conduit for responding to the Biden-Harris administration’s border security crisis.
“Secondly, and most important, is the question about competency. The federal government is already too slow and bureaucratic, but the disaster recovery process takes it to another level. The long-term funding for recovery is, shockingly, neither permanent nor predictable and requires constant reauthorization from Congress. I have worked across the aisle to introduce legislation that would help fix this problem by establishing a permanent and predictable funding process for long-term recovery and getting assistance to families and business owners sooner.
“There also needs to be a drastic improvement in how FEMA assists victims who suffer property damage. I recently introduced a bipartisan bill to end the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to disaster relief and cut the red tape that prevents many individuals and communities from accessing the relief they desperately need when they need it.”
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