Hearing Entitled: Examining Local Needs in Disaster Recovery

The GOP Financial Services subcommittee held a hearing on June 11, 2026, to examine local needs in disaster recovery, focusing on the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBGDR) program administered by HUD. The hearing highlighted significant challenges with the program, including slow fund allocation, administrative complexity, overlapping federal requirements, and oversight issues leading to delays in delivering aid to disaster-affected communities. Witnesses from various states and organizations testified about the need for permanent authorization of CDBGDR to improve flexibility, transparency, and efficiency in disaster recovery funding. Discussions also covered the potential benefits of consolidating disaster recovery efforts under FEMA versus maintaining HUD's role, the importance of data sharing among federal agencies, and the need to prioritize mitigation and resilience in rebuilding efforts. Several members emphasized the urgency of streamlining the program to ensure timely assistance to disaster survivors, especially in rural and underserved areas, and expressed bipartisan support for permanently authorizing CDBGDR with reforms to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and improve accountability.