On February 4, 2026, NAR submitted a letter to Congress supporting H.R. 4669—the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act—bipartisan legislation to modernize federal disaster assistance and strengthen housing recovery following natural disasters.
The FEMA Act promotes faster, more resilient and cost‑effective recovery by allowing disaster aid to be used for permanent, owner‑occupied home repairs rather than prolonged reliance on temporary housing solutions such as FEMA trailers. It also permits cost‑effective home‑hardening and mitigation upgrades to be incorporated up front during repairs, helping reduce future damage and recovery costs.
The bill would also create a unified, web‑based disaster assistance application across federal agencies, streamlining access for survivors while improving transparency, access to resources, and reducing administrative complexity.
The legislation enjoys strong bipartisan support and was approved 57–3 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last fall. It now awaits consideration by the House Homeland Security Committee before advancing to the full House. A Senate companion bill has not yet been introduced.
NAR supports reforming, rather than downsizing, federal disaster aid programs and will continue to work with Congress to prioritize permanent repairs, resilience, and a simpler, more transparent disaster aid process.
Read NAR's letterpdf.