Congressman Bell Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Cut Bureaucratic Red Tape, Delivering Disaster Relief Without Delay

Today, Congressman Wesley Bell announced the introduction of his bipartisan Relief Without Delay Act

The bill keeps disaster aid flowing during shutdowns, cuts bureaucratic delays, and invests in tornado preparedness

The legislation builds on Bell's previous efforts to overhaul the disaster aid process

Congressman Bell: "When a disaster tears through your community, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether Washington's dysfunction will delay your recovery needs"

From STLPR: Bell pushes disaster response package as St. Louis seeks more federal aid(link is external)

Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Wesley Bell (D-MO-01) and Jeff Hurd (R-CO-03) led 20 of their colleagues in introducing the Relief Without Delay Act, a bipartisan bill that would ensure the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster aid continues flowing to families and communities during a government shutdown.

Additionally, the bill would bring new transparency to how disaster relief dollars are spent, and strengthen the nation's tornado detection, warning systems, and community storm shelters.

"When a disaster tears through your community, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether Washington's dysfunction will delay your recovery needs," said Congressman Wesley Bell."I've seen this devastation firsthand in St. Louis. Families who've lost everything need help to come fast, not get caught up in bureaucratic red tape. The Relief Without Delay Act makes sure disaster aid never stops, brings real transparency to how those dollars are spent, and invests in tornado warning systems and storm shelters that save lives. Recovery isn't a partisan issue. It is a promise we keep to every American, no matter what."

"When disaster strikes, families, local governments, and first responders should be able to count on the federal government to do its job, regardless of what is happening in Washington," said Congressman Jeff Hurd."Communities across Colorado's Third District know how important a timely and reliable federal response is when facing wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters. I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of the Relief Without Delay Act to help ensure FEMA can continue supporting disaster response and recovery without interruption, while bringing greater transparency and accountability to how federal disaster dollars are delivered."

After the devastating tornadoes in Missouri last year, Rep. Bell has repeatedly pushed to hold the Trump Administration accountable and to ensure families receive the necessary post-disaster recovery assistance.

In October 2025, he introduced the FEMA Operations Continuity Act to ensure FEMA can continue providing disaster relief during lapses in government funding. In February 2026, he introduced the FEMA Accountability Act, requiring FEMA to publicly report monthly on disaster relief fund expenditures.​ Most recently, Congressman Bell introduced the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Automated Assessment Act, "CDBG AAA," which seeks to improve how the federal government identifies and addresses unmet housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery needs after major disasters.

In addition to Representatives Bell and Hurd, cosponsors supporting this measure include Representatives Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), Troy A. Carter (D-LA-02), Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA-02), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07), Brad Sherman (D-CA-32), Cleo Fields (D-LA-06), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25), Christian D. Menefee (D-TX-18), Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson (D-GA-04), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN-01), Lois Frankel (D-FL-22), Jill N. Tokuda (D-HI-02), Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), and Josh Riley (D-NY-19).

The Relief Without Delaybill text can be found HERE.

One-pager of the bill can be found HERE.