119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 9292
This bill amends the federal disaster relief law to add two main protections. First, it explicitly prohibits the President from deciding whether to grant disaster assistance, emergency declarations, or major disaster declarations based on the political affiliation of affected areas or states. Second, it establishes a 45-day response deadline for the President to act on requests for major disaster declarations from states, tribes, or territories, with the provision that any request that goes unanswered within that timeframe is automatically approved. The bill affects all communities seeking federal disaster assistance by ensuring decisions are made on objective criteria rather than politics and guaranteeing timely processing of disaster relief requests. The legislation does not specify new funding amounts but creates procedural requirements that apply to existing disaster relief programs administered under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.