The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on recorded vote advanced H.R. 4669, the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025, approving the bill as amended by a roll-call of 57 yeas and 3 nays and ordering it favorably reported to the House.

Chairman Graves offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute that the committee adopted as the base text. Members described the bill as a bipartisan package shaped by input from more than 150 members and stakeholders. Committee proponents said the bill would restore the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cabinet-level status, streamline public assistance into faster project-based grants, create a universal application for federal disaster assistance, overhaul FEMA’s mitigation framework to accelerate projects and reduce long-term disaster costs, and require greater transparency and inspector general oversight.

Ranking Member Larson, Rep. Webster, Rep. Stanton and other supporters described the legislation as the product of extensive bipartisan negotiation and said it would speed recovery, expand housing options after disasters, and reward state investments in mitigation. Multiple members noted inclusion of priority provisions from smaller bills, including language affecting duplication-of-benefits treatment for SBA loans and charitable donations, a FEMA emergency home repair program, and programs to support residential retrofit for flood resilience.

Several members raised implementation and jurisdictional concerns. Representative Huffman (Natural Resources Committee ranking member) objected to language he said would create a broad waiver from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and cautioned it went further than the FAST Act of 2015; he urged continued negotiation to preserve environmental review where appropriate. Representative Westman and others said that NEPA and Endangered Species Act provisions required further work. Representative Gillen’s amendment requiring a FEMA report on major flood resiliency investments on key roads (manager’s amendment addition) was noted and supported by members from coastal districts.

Representative Norton introduced but later withdrew an amendment directing FEMA to submit a plan to supply emergency drinking water for the National Capital Region should the Potomac become unusable; Norton withdrew the amendment and signaled intent to work with committee staff on the subject. Representative Carson offered and the committee adopted an amendment requiring FEMA to provide members of Congress with detailed notifications about FEMA grants and award information to improve transparency.

The manager’s amendment incorporated technical fixes and additions requested by members and stakeholders, including provisions to improve response to fast-moving disasters and to ensure mitigation benefit reviews consider innovation and best practices.

On final disposition, the committee’s official tally was 57 yeas and 3 nays; the chair announced the bill as amended was agreed to and ordered favorably reported to the House. The committee authorized staff to make conforming technical edits and allowed members two calendar days to file supplemental or dissenting views.