Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic impact on communities throughout Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with county and local officials, emergency personnel, small business owners, and members of the National Guard in Sarasota County to discuss the...
NOTICIAS
Últimas Noticias
Photos: Rubio Visits Charlotte County Post-hurricane Milton
Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic impact on communities throughout Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with Charlotte County emergency management personnel, local officials, and small business owners to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery...
Rubio, Buchanan, Florida Delegation Support Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for Milton
Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic landfall, Governor Ron DeSantis has requested an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration to support Florida's response and recovery efforts. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and members...
Photos: Rubio Joins U.S. Coast Guard Post-Hurricane Milton
Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic landfall in Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined the U.S. Coast Guard to survey impacted areas across the State. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio joins the U.S. Coast Guard for a flyover...
Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of Senator Rubio’s...
Rubio, Scott Support Seminole Tribe’s Request for Pre-landfall Emergency Declaration for Milton
Major Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida, bringing with it devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. The Seminole Tribe of Florida should have access to the federal resources required for emergency response and recovery preparations on...
Rubio, Colleagues Announce Bill to Replenish Disaster Relief Fund
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) assists individuals, households, states, and non-federal government entities with recovery following natural disasters.
Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton have caused catastrophic damage across multiple states. As a result, the DRF is quickly dwindling. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and colleagues announced legislation to replenish the DRF.
- “Unfortunately, this is a hurricane season no one will soon forget. The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is the front line for states, and our constituents, to receive support in the aftermath of natural disasters. While assessments of the full extent of these storms are underway, the DRF cannot be allowed to be depleted. I am proud to announce my colleagues and I will be introducing a bill to provide additional funding to support communities affected by the recent hurricanes.” – senador Rubio
Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Rick Scott (R-FL) are original cosponsors.
- “Americans help Americans. FEMA needs resources to help those impacted by Hurricanes Milton, Helene, and Francine. Related to this, I will continue working to make flood insurance affordable again.” – Senator Cassidy
- “It is alarming that FEMA has spent almost half of its disaster fund, and there are still weeks left in hurricane season. Congress must take action to ensure critical agencies have sufficient resources to help those impacted by natural disasters recover while also maintaining long-term rebuilding projects.” – Senator Cornyn
- “Hurricane Helene brought a level of devastation we haven’t seen since Hugo. In South Carolina alone, the storm claimed 49 lives and left over a million without power. When any state experiences a natural disaster of this magnitude, Congress has a responsibility to step up and do its job. Communities back home and in surrounding states have come together to recover, but it will take every possible effort to get us back to where we were.” – Senator T. Scott
- “I’ve been on the ground in Florida surveying damage and talking to Floridians for weeks as our state prepared for and now responds to and recovers from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. What’s clear is that Florida families and businesses need their federal government to show up where they are and help them get back on their feet. This bill, providing $20 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, will ensure that the agency has what it needs to provide immediate aid to folks in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and other states impacted by disasters while our local communities determine their needs from FEMA, SBA, USDA and other federal agencies. The federal government’s response to hurricanes over the last two years has left too many Floridians, especially our farmers, hurting and with unmet needs. Unfortunately, I am already hearing from local officials and families in Florida that are frustrated by the fact that these disasters have stretched FEMA’s current resources too thin. That is unacceptable. No state is immune from disasters and I hope that none of our colleagues in the Senate will object to the quick passage of this needed funding. Even with this bill, I continue to urge Majority Leader Schumer to bring back the Senate to fully fund other disaster relief functions at the SBA and USDA block grants, and I’m glad that, in my conversations with President Biden, he has completely agreed with me on the need to get this done. While Floridians are incredibly resilient and will rebuild stronger than ever, it’s going to be an all hands on deck effort at the local, state and federal level to come together and support these communities. I’m going to keep fighting like hell to deliver the federal resources Floridians need to recover.” – Senator R. Scott
Specifically, this bill would appropriate $20 billion to the DRF to help states recover.