Lawmakers press FEMA on delayed NOFOs, BRIC funding and reimbursement backlogs
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Members pressed Acting Administrator Richardson about delayed notice-of-funding-opportunity releases, canceled BRIC mitigation funding, and slow reimbursements for states and localities; Richardson said NOFOs "are going out the door" and that resilience remains a priority while BRIC is in litigation.
Lawmakers at the hearing raised persistent concerns about FEMA grant timelines and the status of mitigation programs, including BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities), and asked when notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) and reimbursements would be issued.
Representative Fong told the administrator that NOFOs were running "68 days behind" and asked whether the agency would release them; Richardson replied, "I have good news. As we speak, notice of fundings are going out the door." Representative Stanton, Representative Larson and others criticized the administration's decision to pause or alter BRIC funding and said that cutting mitigation assistance could increase future disaster costs.
Reimbursements and open projects. Several members from states with long-standing disaster projects — including Representative Garamendi (Bay Area) and Representative Rausser (North Carolina) — said multi‑year projects and reimbursements remain open, some dating back to Hurricane Katrina and storms in 2016–2018. Richardson acknowledged a large number of open disaster projects and said closing them out is an operational priority.
FEMA's stance. Richardson said the agency will pursue "mission-essential tasks" and that resilience is a priority. He also told members BRIC is subject to litigation and declined to speak to its future pending resolution, while reiterating that FEMA is examining grant processes to reduce bureaucracy and improve timeliness.
Why it matters. Grants, NOFO timeliness, and mitigation funding affect jurisdictions' ability to prepare for and recover from disasters. Delays shift costs to states and localities and can stall mitigation projects meant to reduce future losses.
Ending: Members asked for specific timelines and reports on outstanding reimbursements and NOFO schedules; Richardson agreed to follow up with written materials and to collaborate with members on grant program design.