2017 Disaster Supplemental Appropriations: Overview (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised March 20, 2018 |
| Report Number |
R45084 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Painter, William L. |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2017 was “a
historic year of weather and climate disasters” for the United States. A combination of deadly
hurricanes and wildfires were among the 57 major disasters declared under the Stafford Act in
2017. The series of supplemental appropriations requested and provided in the wake of 2017’s
hurricanes and wildfires are the latest exercise of one congressional role in disaster situations—to
exercise “the power of the purse” to provide relief to state and local governments overwhelmed
by disaster response and recovery needs, fund certain relief for individuals and small businesses,
and to repair damage to federal facilities.
Two supplemental appropriations bills have been enacted in response to Administration requests
made in September and October 2017 in the wake of these incidents, providing $34.5 billion in
new budget authority and canceling $16.0 billion in debt held by the National Flood Insurance
Fund. The Administration made a third supplemental appropriations request for disaster relief and
recovery funding in November 2017, seeking roughly $44.0 billion in additional funding. In
response, in December 2017, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4667, which included
$81.0 billion in additional funding, as well as other matters. H.R. 4667 is currently awaiting
action in the Senate. This report provides a detailed breakdown of the requested, enacted, and
proposed supplemental funding in each of these measures, and provides a contact listing for CRS
experts on the funded relief and recovery programs.
As Congress weighs this legislation and chooses how to proceed, it faces a variety of issues,
including the appropriate application of budget discipline when disaster relief is requested from
the federal government, the appropriate breadth and speed of the response, and how to ensure that
the funding provided is not spent on wasteful or fraudulent endeavors. This report also briefly
explores those issues.
