Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 10545, known as the American Relief Act, 2025. The legislation aims to provide disaster relief across various states in the United States.
Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) commented on the bill's passage, stating, "Disasters know no bounds—they impact cities and states across this nation, leaving communities with destruction and despair. It’s a dire reality faced by so many, including my own constituents in Oklahoma. In the face of recent disasters, Americans throughout the country stepped up to help their fellow Americans, and so must Congress."
He further emphasized the bipartisan nature of the effort: “Today, the House acted to provide much-needed assistance in a unified and bipartisan voice as people across the country navigate a way forward. We also supported our farmers, ranchers, and producers to safeguard family farms and ensure food and agriculture security for our nation."
The bill allocates $110 billion for disaster assistance efforts in several states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, among others. Specific allocations include $31 billion for agriculture producers' disaster and economic assistance and $29 billion for FEMA’s response activities related to major disasters such as Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Other provisions include $3.4 billion for repairing storm damage at Department of Defense installations and $12 billion for local government recovery through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program.
Additional funding is set aside for infrastructure improvements such as $8.1 billion for highway repairs through the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program and $3.1 billion for drinking water systems enhancements.
The act also supports small businesses with $2.2 billion through SBA disaster loans and funds various other recovery efforts including military construction planning ($1.81 billion), national parks repair ($2.3 billion), forest roads repair ($6 billion), rural community support ($362.5 million), Coast Guard recovery efforts ($312.7 million), and public safety facility repairs ($14 million).
Chairman Cole encouraged Senate colleagues to advance this bill to bring relief nationwide: "I encourage our colleagues in the Senate to advance this bill to bring relief to crises felt in every corner of our great nation and keep our government working."
