Letter to the Hon. Joseph R. Biden, President - Padilla, Feinstein Push for Disaster Supplemental Funding to Help Communities Rebuild From Destructive 2020 Wildfires

Letter

Dear President Biden:

We write to urge to you to provide relief to states that are struggling with the impact of extreme drought and wildfire this summer and uncompensated damage from past wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and storms. We urge you to request additional funding to meet those needs.

According to the Drought Monitor, over half of the United States is experiencing a historic drought. About 90% of the West is now either abnormally dry or in a drought, which is among the highest percentages in the past 20 years. In addition, almost 600,000 acres of forests and rangelands have been burned by wildfire over the past year. The scale and nature of the problem is quickly outpacing the availability of funding and authorities of federal agencies.

In addition to the escalating impact of this year's drought and wildfires, many states and communities never received supplemental relief for damage for disasters in 2020. While in most cases the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered substantial emergency relief to affected communities, the scale of natural disasters experienced in 2020 demands additional resources that can only be delivered through a disaster supplemental.

We thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to working with you on this important issue.

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