WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Subcommittee whose jurisdiction includes disaster management and FEMA, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding she uphold her commitment to provide him and the committee with FEMA’s completed 2025 hurricane response plan. 

“The increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes and other extreme weather events coupled with FEMA’s shrinking workforce and diminishing capacity are of concern to this Committee and the countless New Jerseyans impacted by Superstorm Sandy…The reports of FEMA’s incomplete 2025 hurricane season plan on the cusp of the start of hurricane season and DHS’ slowness in providing the plan to this Committee are equally unsettling,” wrote Senator Kim. 

Text of Full Letter (PDF)

In the letter, Senator Kim cites previous statements made by FEMA Administrator David Richardson on May 15^th, just days ahead of the start of hurricane season on June 1, in which he said, “I would say we’re about 80 or 85% there […] We’ll never have 100% of a plan […] However, we will do our best to make sure that the plan is all-encompassing.” When the Senator pressed Secretary Noem about these comments during a committee hearing on May 20^th, she said she’d confer with the Department and believed this was a document DHS could provide. 

As hurricane season continues, the Senator is demanding answers on FEMA’s capacity and plans to respond to a predicted above-average storm season after alarming and considerable staff reductions have put massive demands on an already strained workforce. 

The letter specifically asks that the plan include details on how FEMA’s lifesaving missions won’t be hindered by the Secretary’s directive for an at-least 5-day long review of obligations over $100,000. Senator Kim continued: “This added layer of bureaucracy threatens to delay work that could mean the difference between life and death for disaster victims, and it is unclear how FEMA will be able to comply with this directive without sacrificing its duty to protect people before, during, and after disasters.” 

This letter builds on Senator Kim’s commitment to federal disaster response and the importance of FEMA’s life-saving operations. At a committee hearing in June, Senator Kim again pressed on the critical need for a FEMA hurricane preparedness plan and the Department of Homeland Security’s central and critically important mission to respond to natural disasters. He has long advocated for permanent and comprehensive disaster relief at the federal level, pushing to fully authorize and fund federal disaster recovery grant programs and to invest in climate resilient infrastructure. He has also worked to ensure federal funding from FEMA reaches New Jersey to assist in response efforts, including after recent wildfires in South Jersey.

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