Murray, Warren Call for Investigation Into Trump Administration Delaying Disaster Recovery Funding, Effects on Communities Including Spokane

Senator Murray secured $44 million in long-term disaster recovery funding for Spokane in December-new letter calls for investigation into Trump administration actions leading to delays and confusion with the recovery program

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calling for an investigation into the Trump Administration delaying HUD's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding, which supports recovery in disaster-stricken communities across the country.

In January, Senator Murray announced over $44 million in CDBG-DR funding for Spokane County disaster recovery efforts from the Gray and Oregon Road fires in August 2023, which burned more than 21,000 acres in Eastern Washington and were among the most destructive in Washington state history. The funding came from the disaster relief bill that Senator Murray negotiated as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee last Congress and that was signed into law by President Biden on December 21^st, 2024.

However, recent actions by the Trump administration-including abrupt changes to the CDBG-DR program requirements, the mass termination of thousands of employees at HUD who are responsible for getting critical funding out the door, and a lack of communication with partners on the ground-have potential ramifications for the funding Spokane is owed. Senator Murray has also pushed to permanently authorize and codify HUD's CDBG-DR program, reduce unnecessary delays and red tape, and avoid ad-hoc changes to the program like those being made by the Trump administration now.

"At his confirmation hearing, Secretary Turner stated that getting the CDBG-DR funds out to communities was a 'top priority' for him. However, his actions have not matched that stated commitment. The last three months have been marked by chaos, confusion, and poor communication with the people and communities that rely on this funding the most," Senators Murray and Warren wrote. "Nearly a quarter of HUD's workforce has either been terminated or resigned through the Deferred Resignation Program, and with that, HUD will lose immeasurable institutional and operational know-how needed to execute its programs. On March 19, HUD announced updates to CDBG-DR funding requirements 'to align requirements with the President's executive orders,' which principally undercut anti-discrimination requirements and increase the chances of waste, fraud, and abuse by not requiring grantees to adequately account for future disaster risk. On March 31, HUD issued yet another set of revisions to the Universal Notice it had already revised earlier in the month, and in recognition of the setback these changes would represent for grantees, HUD granted a 60-day extension for grantees to its action plan submission deadline."

The senators pressed for answers on delays, asking: "What analysis, if any, did HUD conduct on the potential for delays in the availability of CDBG-DR funding as a result of changing eligibility requirements?" and "To what extent have grantees been able to receive clear and timely responses to their questions?," among other questions.

The senators also outlined how the Trump Administration's changes to the CDBG-DR program have "undercut anti-discrimination requirements and increased the chances of waste, fraud, and abuse by not requiring grantees to adequately account for future disaster risk," among other issues.

The letter follows news that the Trump administration is slashing funding for community disaster preparation as well as reporting that the Trump Administration prioritized FEMA funding to states based on who they voted for.

The full text of the letter is HERE.

CDBG-DR funding supports disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing, economic revitalization, and mitigation, in the most impacted and distressed areas. As the only federal disaster recovery assistance to primarily benefit low- and moderate-income households and communities, CDBG-DR funding can be used to:

• Replace damaged affordable housing and build it back more resiliently;
• Strengthen infrastructure through repairs, upgrades, and activities to increase the resilience of public facilities and infrastructure including roadways, water systems, and utilities;
• Support economic revitalization including support for small businesses, creation of jobs, and assistance for residents; and
• Implement disaster mitigation measures to reduce risk of damage from future extreme weather and disaster events.

The allocated funds will help communities fill the funding gaps in disaster recovery and mitigation not covered by insurance and other federal and local sources. The total allocation amount is based on a formula which considers an estimate of unmet needs for housing, economic revitalization, and infrastructure, plus an additional 15 percent for mitigation activities.

Senator Murray pushed nonstop to approve additional disaster relief funding for well over a year-and negotiated the bipartisan disaster relief package that was signed into law on December 21^st, 2024. In November, she chaired a full committee hearing on the president's updated disaster relief request, at which she again underscored the need to finally pass a robust disaster relief package, noting it has been one of the longest stretches in her memory that Congress has failed to provide such relief.

In September 2023, Senator Murray spoke on the Senate Floor about the devastation the Gray and Oregon Road Fires caused in Eastern Washington, making clear that "communities in Eastern Washington have a long way to go on the road to recovery-so, I will absolutely be staying in close touch with folks in my state, and on the frontlines, and making sure our families and communities have the support they need to get through this."In October 2023, Senator Murray and others sent a letter to President Biden in support of Governor Jay Inslee's request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Washington state as a result of the significant damages incurred by the fires. In February 2024, Senator Murray called President Biden to emphasize the importance of approving the Major Disaster Declaration request-the declaration was granted shortly afterward.

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