U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

89–012 2010

111th Congress, 2nd Session – – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 111–100 

REQUEST FOR FY 2011 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL 

FUNDING 

COMMUNICATION 

FROM

THE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF 

MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET 

TRANSMITTING

A REQUEST OF FY 2011 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING, 

TOTALING $1.5 BILLION FOR THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA) DISASTER RELIEF FUND (DRF) 

APRIL 13, 2010.—Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and 

ordered to be printed 


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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, 

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, 

Washington, DC, March 9, 2010. 

Hon. NANCY PELOSI, 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, 

Washington, DC. 

DEAR MADAM SPEAKER: On February 12, 2010, the Administration submitted a request to amend the FY 2010 supplemental funding in the FY 2011 Budget. The amendment included $1.5 billion 

for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to supplement the $3.6 billion requested for FY 2010 in the FY 2011 Budget. I am writing to you 

to reiterate the urgency of the funding for domestic disasters 

through FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) and ask that it be declared an emergency. The DRF is essential to keeping the Nation 

prepared: providing immediate recovery assistance across the country for situations ranging from earthquakes, hurricanes, and terrorist incidents to more routine emergencies like the snowstorms 

that recently struck the East Coast. 

We estimate that the DRF will be exhausted this month if the 

Congress fails to act. The crucial role of the DRF has been exemplified in recent weeks, with a total of eight disaster declarations in 

February alone for eight different states—all tied to recent severe 

snowstorms. By the end of March, we are projecting a $137 million 

DRF funding shortfall. That shortfall is estimated to increase to 

$1.5 billion by the end of April, and to more than $3.2 billion by 

the end of June. If supplemental funds are not approved promptly, 

communities and individuals eligible for Federal assistance will not 

be reimbursed, and State and local governments forced to bear the 

full cost of these events until the DRF is replenished could limit 

their disaster relief responses. Imposing additional costs on States 

and localities is particularly problematic given the precarious fiscal 

situation that they face in the current economy. 

The requested funding for the DRF would provide recovery assistance across the country. The 59 disasters and seven emergencies declared in 2009 spanned 33 States and territories, and as 

of March 1, 2010, another eighteen disasters and three emergencies 

had been declared in seven different States or territories. 

The costs of the Gulf Coast’s recovery from hurricanes Katrina 

and Rita also continue to contribute to current funding needs. The 

supplemental request includes the estimated costs of arbitration 

claims (including claims by the Charity Hospital in New Orleans 

that were recently the subject of an arbitral award); Katrina-related school settlements to account for the destruction or damage 

of virtually all of New Orleans’s educational facilities in the storm; 

and other public assistance and hazard mitigation projects that remain unfinished, including the repair or replacement of storm-damaged roads, police and fire stations, public buildings, and other inVerDate Nov 24 2008 08:11 Apr 14, 2010 Jkt 089012 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 E:\HR\OC\HD100.XXX HD100

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frastructure. As we approach the fifth anniversary of Katrina, it is 

critical to bring to closure these Federal contributions to Gulf Coast 

recovery. 

Thank you very much for your prompt consideration of this request. 

Sincerely, 

PETER R. ORSZAG, Director. 

Æ 


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