It did not taking long for one of the industry’s trade associations to spring to action following Congress’s return to work after a lengthy government shutdown.
The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) on Thursday called on U.S House leaders to pass a bipartisan bill containing sweeping reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The Fixing Emergency Management for American Act (FEMA Act), HR 4669, earlier passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by an impressive 57-3 margin. It was introduced by Committee Chair Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Ranking Member Rick Larsen, D-Wash.
“This level of support and the proposal’s thoughtful and pragmatic approach are signs that the bill balances needed public policy reforms without the risk of upending the U.S. emergency management mechanism,” said Jimi Grande, NAMIC senior vice president of federal and political affairs. “For months prior to the bill’s introduction, the sponsors spent extensive time considering feedback across hundreds of industries touched by emergency management and disaster response planning.”
The bill removes FEMA from oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, restoring it to an independent agency that reports directly to President Trump. The FEMA administrator would be elevated to a cabinet-level post. The job is currently held by David Richardson, acting administrator. He was named to the role in May after Cameron Hamilton, who’d had also been leading the agency in an acting role, was fired after saying at a congressional hearing that he did not support eliminating the agency.
Richardson has said states would be sharing more of the costs after natural disasters.
Trump has been a vocal critic of FEMA, and has threatened to abolish the agency. His administration terminated the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, overseen by FEMA, in April but was stopped by a federal judge in August.
Related: ‘Abolishing FEMA’ Memo Outlines Ways for Trump to Scrap Agency | Disaster Survivors Wait Longer to Get Federal Aid
In a letter sent today from NAMIC to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the trade group said it is “ready to partner with policymakers at all levels to reimagine and improve the way
America prepares for and invests in emergency management and disaster response.”
“The FEMA Act of 2025 includes numerous positive reforms in the spirit of enhancing stability, expertise, transparency, accountability, uniformity, coordination, and speed of disaster response,” wrote Grande on behalf of NAMIC. “Disaster survivors would be able to unlock critical lifesaving assistance in streamlined and modernized manners. We are further encouraged by the bill’s continued commitment to incorporating modern approaches for stronger and safer building and rebuilding to reduce risk going forward in cost-effective ways that protect individuals, families, and communities from risks posed by natural hazards.”
The bill would also strictly prohibit any political discrimination in providing disaster recovery assistance. States would be incentivized to make investments in mitigation, “rainy day” funds, and private insurance policies.
Topics FEMA
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