WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Wednesday chaired a subcommittee hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s response to COVID-19 and other challenges, including disaster preparedness and providing humanitarian assistance at the U.S.-Mexico Border.

“FEMA exists to coordinate the federal government's role in disaster preparation, prevention, and relief. We typically see FEMA serve as an emergency manager when there’s a certain area of the country that’s hit with a natural disaster, but COVID-19, it impacted the whole country and the size and scale of the federal response has really been like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Murphy.  

On the intention of Wednesday’s Subcommittee hearing, Murphy said: “[W]e also would like to hear about the agency’s present state of operations. We need to know how the Defense Production Act authorities are being used, what FEMA is doing to ensure an equitable distribution of vaccine support, and we need to know about the financial health of the Disaster Relief Fund.”

Murphy concluded: “And while COVID-19 will obviously be the primary subject of this hearing, FEMA does face other challenges. Currently, the agency is supporting 960 declared disasters across the country. At least one in every single state and territory in the country. We spend a lot of time focusing on the emergency response, but we should also be talking about focusing on investments that make us more resilient. With that in mind, I’ll have questions about FEMA’s implementation of what is known as the ‘BRIC’ program. That’s the money we use to build resiliency in our communities. And we’ll also want to look at how FEMA is assisting efforts on the southwest border.”

Murphy has been vocal throughout the pandemic on the need to strengthen the U.S. supply chain. In February, Murphy and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced legislation to provide $10 billion in the American Rescue Plan to support the expansion of domestic manufacturing through the Defense Production Act to deliver the vaccine, medical equipment, and other supplies needed to respond to COVID-19.

A full transcript of Murphy’s opening remarks can be found below:

“Good afternoon. I call this hearing of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security to order.

“As a general reminder at the outset, this is a virtual—a hybrid hearing where some of my colleagues will be here in person and others will be appearing virtually, and so we’ll do our best to ensure that everybody is aware when it is their turn to speak.

“This is the Subcommittee’s first hearing of the 117th Congress and my first meeting as Chairman. I’m also a new member of the Committee and so I will cop at the outset to a learning curve, and I’m very grateful to be able to have the advice and counsel and partnership of Ranking Member and prior Chairwoman Capito. Looking forward to doing some good work together on this Subcommittee. 

“Let me welcome the Acting Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Bob Fenton. This is his second tour of duty in this acting capacity, and we are grateful to him for his willingness to shuttle back and forth from his responsibilities on the West Coast to help us during these interim interregnum periods. We’re going to examine today the agency’s response to COVID-19 and other challenges in emergency management. We’re thankful that you’re here to testify before us in person.

“FEMA exists to coordinate the federal government's role in disaster preparation, prevention, and relief. We typically see FEMA serve as an emergency manager when there’s a certain area of the country that’s hit with a natural disaster, but COVID-19, it impacted the whole country and the size and scale of the federal response has really been like nothing we’ve seen before. FEMA estimates that obligations for COVID relief through fiscal year 2021 are going to be somewhere north of $115 billion. That’s more than double the Department of Homeland Security’s annual discretionary budget. 

“And I want to acknowledge at the outset all the great work that’s been done by emergency management personnel at the federal, state, and local levels who have just worked tirelessly over the past year to respond to and confront this pandemic. We all thank them, your staff in particular, for their ongoing work.

“When COVID-19 was declared an emergency back in March of last year, FEMA was directed to lead a ‘whole-of-government’ federal response to the pandemic. But a coordinated federal response, for all intents and purposes, did not materialize.

“Instead, the Trump administration decided to outsource most of the disaster responsibility to states, to local governments, and to private health systems. On many days, my state’s leaders will tell you, the federal government was sometimes more of a hindrance than a help. There was a lot of confusion amongst nonfederal governments and health care providers regarding overlapping roles and responsibilities of our federal response agencies. Some days it seemed like FEMA was in charge. Other days it looked like the White House Task force looked to be in the driver’s seat. Other times, HHS appeared to be calling the shots.

“GAO cited one federal, excuse me, one local public health official who said the response was ‘incoherent, confusing, and uncoordinated.’ This was especially true with regard to the medical supply chain. Early on, there was a serious and damaging perception that medical supplies and personal protective equipment were not being distributed to the places in the country that had the greatest need, but rather based on other motives, whether they be political or personal. Governors and local officials who competed for months for life-saving supplies often saw the federal government redirect those supplies without explanation. 

“Now some might say, that with the COVID threat still real and present, that this isn’t the time to look backward. But we need to be learning lessons in real time. We can’t afford to just keep repeating the mistakes of the past. And while the Biden administration has straightened out much of this confusion, this Committee obviously has the responsibility to fund FEMA in a way that doesn’t doom us to the same failures the next time a pandemic hits.

“Of course, we also would like to hear about the agency’s present state of operations. We need to know how the Defense Production Act authorities are being used, what FEMA is doing to ensure an equitable distribution of vaccine support, and we need to know about the financial health of the Disaster Relief Fund. 

“And while COVID-19 will obviously be the primary subject of this hearing, FEMA does face other challenges. Currently, the agency is supporting 960 declared disasters across the country. At least one in every single state and territory in the country.

“We spend a lot of time focusing on the emergency response, but we should also be talking about focusing on investments that make us more resilient. With that in mind, I’ll have questions about FEMA’s implementation of what is known as the ‘BRIC’ program. That’s the money we use to build resiliency in our communities.

“And we’ll also want to look at how FEMA is assisting efforts on the southwest border. Senator Capito and I were there recently. And obviously, FEMA is deeply engaged in helping the Department of Health and Human Services find suitable facilities to care for unaccompanied children and funding assistance to support social service agencies to provide humanitarian relief.

“There’s a lot to cover today and I look forward to your testimony, Mr. Fenton. And I’ll now turn to the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Senator Capito, for any opening remarks.”

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