Graves amendment to help 2016 flood victims passes House committee

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 31 adopted a bipartisan amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) that would finally provide rebuilding funds to 2016 Louisiana flood victims.

“We promised the remaining 2016 flood victims that we were not going to stop until they receive the relief that they deserve,” Rep. Graves said. “This is just one of the many efforts in our multi-pronged strategy. We’re glad to see this advancing in the House, but we’re not going to give up until folks are made whole.”

The committee-adopted amendment, which Rep. Graves introduced on Jan. 31 alongside U.S. Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA), is part of the Wildfire Response Improvement Act, H.R. 7070, which would direct the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct a review of the criteria for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of certain mitigation projects.

The amendment would extend Rep. Graves’ relief provision in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 for an additional five years, according to a summary provided by the congressman’s staff.

Additionally, the amendment would state that this fix applies to all 2016 flood victims, preventing federal agencies from blocking assistance to victims who became eligible for federal assistance after Rep. Graves’ relief provision became law in 2018, the summary says. 

“Whack-a-mole, moving the goalposts… call it what you want. HUD bureaucrats have worked hard to prevent Louisiana flood victims from getting the congressionally mandated disaster assistance needed to rebuild south Louisiana communities,” said Rep. Graves. “Flood waters don’t discriminate, but federal bureaucrats sure do.”

Rep. Carter added that the federal government should make it easier and more accessible for people to reestablish themselves.

“Yet, some of these backwards policies have made it harder for those suffering to access resources,” he said. “I want to thank my colleague Congressman Garret Graves for working in a bipartisan manner to resolve this issue, which has hurt so many.”