The Disaster Recovery Improvement Task Force aims to speed up disaster relief funding and cut red tape

This comes after Senators Warnock and Budd led a bipartisan effort to expedite disaster Assistance for Georgia producers impacted by Hurricane Helene

Senator Reverend Warnock: “This bipartisan task force Senator Budd and I are proposing would bring local and federal leaders to the same table so we can better deliver relief to the people who need it most.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Disaster Recovery Improvement Act to establish the Disaster Recovery Improvement Task Force. This task force would consult with local leaders and recommend reforms to cut red tape and expedite the deployment of federal disaster aid following major natural disasters. 

“When disaster strikes, Georgians should not have to navigate a confusing and everchanging bureaucratic maze to rebuild their lives. Lately, the federal government has not acted with the urgency our neighbors need when they are hurting, and Georgians have felt these delays,” said Senator Warnock. 

Recent natural disasters, such as Hurricane Helene, have exposed delays in federal disaster relief. One year after Hurricane Helene made landfall, Senator Warnock released a report and statement finding that the Trump administration owed $600 million in promised recovery aid to Georgians. The Disaster Recovery Improvement Task Force will identify gaps in federal programming and develop recommendations to cut red tape and avoid future delays in deploying disaster aid. This Task Force will be led by a senior Federal Emergency Disaster Management (FEMA) official and will include senior officials from other federal recovery agencies, four state governors, and four county commissioners.

“This bipartisan task force Senator Budd and I are proposing would bring local and federal leaders to the same table so we can better deliver relief to the people who need it most,” Senator Warnock continued.

“For well over a year, I have worked with DHS to unlock FEMA funding for Western North Carolina that has been stuck in longstanding regulatory bottlenecks. Through that work, I’ve also uncovered additional gaps in our federal disaster response, including programs run by other agencies that have slowed recovery efforts. This cannot continue. Reform is clearly needed to fix these programs which is why Senator Warnock and I have put forth a solution to establish a task force that would bring local, state, and federal officials together to eliminate hurdles holding back the deployment disaster relief,” said Senator Budd.

Senator Warnock has consistently worked to provide and strengthen federal support for communities affected by natural disasters and has championed legislation to help Georgians defend against the impacts of severe weather. In March 2026, Senator Warnock secured over $531 million in federal disaster aid for Georgia farmers who were affected by Hurricane Helene. In March 2025, Senator Warnock led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging it to expedite disaster assistance for Georgia farmers affected by Hurricane Helene. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and members of the Georgia Congressional Delegation also supported the effort.