STOPPING POLITICAL DISCRIMINATION IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE ACT

On 2026-09-16, Representative Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-3) delivered a floor speech titled "STOPPING POLITICAL DISCRIMINATION IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE ACT" in the House.

STOPPING POLITICAL DISCRIMINATION IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5893-H5895] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] STOPPING POLITICAL DISCRIMINATION IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE ACT Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1342) to prohibit discrimination based on political affiliation in granting disaster assistance, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1342 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act''. SEC. 2. NONDISCRIMINATION IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE. Section 308(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5151(a)) is amended by striking ``or economic status'' and inserting ``economic status, or political affiliation''. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gallagher). Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania. General Leave Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 1342. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania? There was no objection. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the full committee. Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1342. This legislation is simple, but it is a very necessary fix. It ensures that when the Federal Government responds to a crisis, disaster victims are helped regardless of their political affiliation. This may seem like common sense, but both the work of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General revealed that this body needs to act affirmatively on this issue. I am grateful to Mr. Perry for his leadership on this topic, both in this Congress and the last. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take just a moment of personal privilege to honor another staffer who is departing the committee. Hunter Presti has worked for the committee in various capacities for well over a decade. He is an expert in aviation law, playing key roles in both the 2018 and 2024 FAA reauthorization bills. For the 2024 bill, Hunter led our team and was a fierce negotiator. I trusted him to execute throughout that process, and I am extremely proud of the bill that we were able to get signed into law. This Congress, he stepped into a new role as the policy director, leading our highways team and spearheading the surface transportation bill. He was a very critical component to negotiating the BUILD America 250 Act and getting it favorably reported by the committee. Being policy director couldn't keep Hunter away from aviation. As we crafted the reconciliation bill, hunter's expertise was also integral in providing the $12.5 billion downpayment for air traffic control modernization efforts at the FAA. Throughout my time leading the committee, Hunter has served as a trusted policy expert and dedicated staffer, devoting countless hours and weekends to advancing the committee's agenda. [[Page H5894]] I recognize the toll that such dedication takes on one's family. I extend my sincere gratitude to Hunter for these sacrifices, as well as to his family for their support. As Hunter heads toward the next step in his career, I wish him well. He will be greatly missed. From drafting legislative text to shepherding bills from conception through negotiation at the committee level and with the Senate, and to seeing that those bills are signed into law, Hunter has left his mark on the committee's work. I am very grateful for his service. I wish him and his family the best of luck in their next chapter. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time, and I urge support of this legislation. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1342, the Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act, amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include a prohibition on discrimination based on political affiliation. Currently, the Stafford Act makes it clear that FEMA should not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. This bill adds political affiliation to that list. Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, there were alarming reports that FEMA workers were skipping homes impacted by those disasters based on political signs that supported President Trump. In fact, the recent inspector general audit found homes were, in fact, skipped following Hurricane Milton due to political signage. FEMA crews failed to offer assistance because homes displayed signs supporting then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Not only did this violate FEMA policy and the Hatch Act, but it is absolutely and obviously totally unacceptable. {time} 1110 The inspector general found that, ``This situation eroded public trust in FEMA's ability to treat everyone impartially, offer unbiased and consistent assistance, and ensure equal access to resources and tools.'' Victims and the American taxpayer--and victims who are the American taxpayer--must have confidence that when disaster strikes, they won't be discriminated against because of the political sign that they place in their yard or the things that they believe in. This legislation is a simple, yet crucial step that we can take to rebuild the public's trust in this great and wide-ranging institution. Each of us in this body can affirm that no matter an American's political stance, if a disaster strikes, FEMA's response should be impartial, aiding those who need help, period. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1342, the Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act, introduced by Representative Perry. This bill amends a nondiscrimination provision of the Robert T. Stafford Act to prohibit political discrimination in the administration of FEMA assistance. I could not agree more: Politics has no place in disaster assistance. Unfortunately, President Trump has weaponized disaster declarations, rewarding States that voted for him and punishing those that did not. Sadly, the numbers tell the story. He has approved more than 75 percent of the disaster declaration requests for States that voted for him in 2024, but less than half from States that did not. That is not speculation. The President has told us himself that politics factors into these decisions. On the campaign trail, while discussing water policy with Governor Newsom, he said, if California did not divert more water to farmers, ``we won't give him money to put out all his fires.'' Announcing aid for Alaska last October, he did not talk about the damage. He talked about the politics, referring to Alaska as a State he ``won big three times in 2016, 2020, and 2024.'' He said the same when approving aid for North Dakota, twice. In that same stretch, he praised Missouri's residents as ``incredible patriots'' while approving their disaster declaration request, and then subsequently denying requests from Illinois, Maryland, and Vermont. When a disaster declaration does not come, real people suffer. Survivors cannot get money to repair their homes, find temporary housing, or access disaster case management. States and cities cannot rebuild schools, roads, or hospitals. Communities get left behind, not because they did not properly qualify for the aid, but because of political differences. That is not patriotism. That is reckless behavior. Mr. Perry is right: We need to keep politics out of disasters. I support H.R. 1342, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. DeSaulnier). Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank both the chair of the subcommittee and the ranking member for their work on this bill. I am proud to be here in support of the Perry initiative. I also want to congratulate all the staff members, as the full chair congratulated them, for their service. When disaster strikes, Americans come together. Americans should be able to count on their government and their Federal Government, regardless of their political affiliations or the politics of the State they call home. That principle is increasingly important as natural disasters become more frequent and costly. From 2020 through 2024, the United States experienced an average of 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters every year, more than 2\1/2\ times the annual average since 1980. My home State of California understands these costs, unfortunately, all too well. We face wildfires, floods, severe storms, droughts, earthquakes. Mr. Speaker, 18 of California's 20 most destructive wildfires have occurred since 2000. Yet, at a time when communities increasingly need Federal assistance, we have seen troubling disparities, that have just been talked about by the ranking member and the chair. An analysis of FEMA data found that, during Trump's second term, 80 percent of disaster requests from Republican Governors have been approved, compared with only 60 percent from Democratic Governors. That is fro

Referenced legislation: HR1342, HR1342