General Updates Plagiarized Contract. Senators Claire McCakill (D-MO), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Gary Peters (D-MI) found that a company plagiarized their contract proposal with FEMA. FEMA ended their $156 million contract with Tribute Contracting, LLC after it failed to deliver sufficient emergency meals. FEMA has had several failed contracts during their response in Puerto Rico. Continue reading

HUD Updates HUD announced on February 22 that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) expanded mortgage relief for FHA-insured homeowners impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria as well as the wildfires in California. FHA created a “Disaster Standalone Partial Claim” option designed to help those affected by the disasters and struggling to resume mortgage payment. HUD’s Office Continue reading

General Updates Funding for Relief, Not Debt. Five representatives and two senators sent a letter to the chairman of the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico, José B. Carrión III, reminding him that the recently passed disaster supplemental should be used solely for recovery and rebuilding purposes. Various reports suggested that the Continue reading

General Updates Letters Requesting Extension of TSA. Representatives Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Jose Serrano (D-NY) sent a letter to FEMA administrator Brock Long urging him to expand the Direct Lease Program for Puerto Rican evacuees in addition to extending the Transitional Shelter Assistance Program (TSA) through June 1. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey Continue reading

General Updates Disaster Aid Passed. Congress passed a disaster relief bill on February 9. While the bill provides $28 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds and other important financial resources, it does not include important housing resources and tools–such as the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP)–or safeguards to ensure federal resources Continue reading