Bill > HR5794

This bill, known as the FEMA Operations Continuity Act of 2025, authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator to maintain critical disaster relief operations during a government funding lapse (shutdown). Specifically, the bill allows FEMA to continue all disaster relief, recovery, and mitigation operations funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, including individual and public assistance programs under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The legislation ensures that all unobligated balances in the Disaster Relief Fund remain available for expenditure during a funding gap, and prohibits these funds from being withheld or reprogrammed except as required by the Anti-Deficiency Act. Furthermore, the bill explicitly classifies FEMA's operations as essential for protecting human life and property, which means these operations would be exempt from standard government shutdown restrictions. This ensures that disaster response and recovery efforts can continue uninterrupted, even if Congress fails to pass a budget, thereby protecting vulnerable populations and maintaining critical emergency management services during potential political funding impasses.

Business and Industry, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5794/all-info