HR 5648119th CongressIn Committee

Disaster Relief Continuity Act of 2025

Introduced: Sep 30, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Moore, Tim [R-NC-14] (R-North Carolina)

Economy & Taxes

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Disaster Relief Continuity Act of 2025 would create a temporary, backstop funding stream to keep disaster relief operations operating if Congress has not enacted appropriations for fiscal year 2026. Introduced in the House (by Rep. Moore of North Carolina), the bill would appropriate to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) an amount sufficient to carry out the Stafford Act for FY2026 during any lapse in appropriations. This includes funding for disaster response and assistance activities, salaries and expenses for essential FEMA personnel involved in disaster work, and continued payments and grants for ongoing federally funded disaster recovery projects. The funds would remain available until the earliest of: enactment of an appropriation for the purpose, enactment of a regular or continuing appropriations bill without an appropriation for this purpose, or January 1, 2027. The measure also bars use of funds for nonessential administrative tasks, new policy development, or non-disaster-related training or travel. Note: The bill text refers to the “Federal Emergency Management Assistance Agency,” which appears to be a drafting error for the federal agency commonly known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Key Points

1Creates a continuous appropriation for FY2026 disaster relief funding to cover activities if there is a lapse in appropriations.
2Funds provided “out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated” to support Stafford Act activities, including major disasters and emergencies, including individual assistance and life-saving operations.
3Allocates funding to cover salaries and expenses of essential FEMA personnel directly involved in disaster response, recovery, mitigation, and grant disbursement.
4Enables ongoing payments and grants for existing federally funded disaster recovery projects to continue during the lapse.
5Terminates the funding upon the earliest of: enactment of a relevant appropriation, enactment of a law without an appropriation for the purpose, or January 1, 2027; includes restrictions on use for nonessential admin, new policy development, or non-disaster-related training/travel.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Individuals and communities affected by disasters (through disaster relief, individual assistance, and life-saving activities) and the federal personnel (FEMA staff) who administer and deliver disaster relief programs.Secondary group/area affected: Federal disaster recovery project recipients and entities relying on ongoing disaster grants and funding; federal agencies coordinating disaster response.Additional impacts: The measure interacts with the budget and appropriations process by creating a temporary funding backstop, potentially reducing immediate risk of funding gaps but raising questions about compliance with the Anti-Deficiency Act and the normal appropriations cycle. The temporary nature (through January 1, 2027) constrains the measure to a specific period and explicitly limits uses to disaster-related activities, not general administration or non-disaster training.

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