H.R. 4669 · In committee · Emergency Management

FEMA Act of 2025

What it does

Reestablishes FEMA, now within DHS, as an independent, cabinet-level agency and transfers its functions and authorities to the new agency, except certain security-related programs.
Revises the Public Assistance program with expedited grants to repair or replace damaged facilities, optional block grants for smaller disasters, and broader emergency response and debris removal funding.
Allows excess administrative funds to be used to build recipients' disaster management capacity.
Revises Individual Assistance by expanding housing assistance eligibility, mitigation and direct assistance for residences, easing duplication-of-benefits limits, and creating a unified disaster application system.
Revises mitigation programs, including mitigation plans with preapproved projects and allowing an entire Hazard Mitigation Grant Program grant to be provided in advance.

Official summary

Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act of 2025 or the FEMA Act of 2025 This bill reestablishes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (currently within the Department of Homeland Security) as an independent, cabinet-level agency. It also makes broad changes to FEMA’s disaster and hazard mitigation assistance programs. The bill generally transfers FEMA’s current functions and authorities to the independent FEMA, except for certain security-related programs. The bill makes various changes to the Public Assistance program, including by establishing new grants for expedited funding to repair or replace disaster-damaged facilities, establishing block grants that recipients may choose instead of Public Assistance for smaller disasters, expediting and expanding uses of funding for emergency response and debris removal, and allowing use of excess administrative funds for increasing recipients’ disaster management capacity. The bill makes various changes to the Individual Assistance program, including by expanding eligibility for housing assistance, expanding mitigation and direct (non-financial) assistance for residences, reducing certain restrictions on funds duplicating…

Latest action

Sep 3, 2025: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 57 - 3.

Committee: House Transportation and Infrastructure