News and reports from the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, announced the House has passed their bipartisan Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act to make permanent the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Risk Index (NRI) – an online tool that utilizes data to identify communities that are most vulnerable to natural disasters.

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, announced that 16 of his key priorities have been included in the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced that the Senate has passed their bipartisan Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act to strengthen national security by preparing the federal government’s defenses against quantum-computing-enabled data breaches.

Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, that will help protect communities across the country from possible consequences that may occur by changing the population threshold for metropolitan areas, has been signed into law. Communities in Michigan, Ohio, and across the United States count on this designation for federal funding that goes towards important programs.

Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Rick Scott (R-FL) that requires federal agencies to take disaster resilience into account when investing in and managing federal property and assets has been signed into law.

The House has passed bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to make permanent the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Risk Index (NRI) – an online tool that utilizes data to identify communities that are most vulnerable to natural disasters

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a new report detailing the findings of his two-year investigation into the federal government’s initial response to COVID-19 from December 2019 through March 2020, as the virus quickly spread throughout the country.

The Senate has passed U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and James Lankford’s (R-OK) bipartisan Clear and Concise Content Act

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a nearly $4.5 million grant to the town of Manchester-by-the-Sea to help address flooding problems on Sawmill Brook by the Central Street Bridge.

South Carolina residents who receive Social Security payments or other government assistance should not be concerned that FEMA disaster assistance will affect your benefits.

More than $3.31 billion in federal grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments has been provided to the state of Florida and to households after Hurricane Ian to help survivors jumpstart their recovery.

The temporary Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Caguas, Mayagüez, Ponce and Vega Baja will close permanently on Dec. 8, 2022, at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, operational hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday until they close.

A survivor recently reported getting a text that their “federal government check in the amount of $2800 has been disbursed”.

Homeowners and renters who were affected by the flooding in St. Clair County from July 25-28 now have until Thursday, December 22, to apply for FEMA disaster assistance.

This week, FEMA announced over $169 million in additional assistance has been provided to survivors because of a policy update which expanded home repair assistance to specifically address applicants with remediating disaster-caused mold growth. Because of the policy update, more than 111,000 additional applicants have been able to get assistance.