Opinion: Why Federal Hazard Mitigation Funds Are Stuck

On the GAO’s high risk list: The federal government must release the HUD rules that would get federal disaster mitigation funding (DRRA) to the most impacted areas immediately.

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First published in The Hill

By Carlos Martín, Marion McFadden and Shana Udvardy

The Hill

Investing federal dollars to help communities affected by extreme weather disasters is something that people on both sides of the aisle can support -- and have promised as much.

In February, Congress approved nearly $16 billion for disaster mitigation activities -- infrastructure upgrades, building retrofits and other improvements -- that protect us from future hazards. Funds were allocated to places like California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that experienced devastating disasters. It’s been more than a year since Congress appropriated these funds and the Office of Management and Budget has yet to approve the...

Continue reading the story on The Hill’s website.

Access the 293-page report that puts the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 on the GAO’s High Risk List on GAO.gov.