Tens of thousands of electric cooperative members and other grassroots advocates have sent letters urging House members to pass a bipartisan bill that would dramatically speed up delivery of crucial disaster relief funds to co-ops.
As of Oct. 20, about 40,000 co-op members and like-minded voters had contacted their lawmakers through Voices for Cooperative Power and asked them to approve the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Act of 2025, said Kelly Cushman, vice president of political programs at NRECA.
In addition to grassroots advocates, about 1,500 electric cooperative CEOs and directors representing more than half of the nation’s 900-plus electric co-ops have sent letters to their House members in support of the bill, said Gabe Snow, director of alliances and partnerships at NRECA.
“I think this may be the broadest appeal for action that we’ve ever had,” Snow said. “We’re tapping into all available resources.”
Cushman said that “reforming FEMA is a top priority for NRECA because every electric co-op in America faces the real and growing threat of natural disasters, from hurricanes and wildfires to floods and ice storms.”
“These events are national challenges,” she said.
Under the FEMA reform bill, co-ops would no longer have to wait years to receive reimbursements from the agency for the emergency work they do in the wake of devastating disasters. Co-ops also would be eligible to be reimbursed for the interest they must pay on loans to perform emergency work and rebuild their systems while they wait to receive disaster funds from FEMA.
“This bill would provide faster disaster relief for co-op communities—because when every minute counts, faster aid means stronger recovery,” Cushman said.
Cushman and Snow are urging more co-op CEOs, directors, members and supporters to take action to help persuade Congress to pass the bill as soon as possible after the government shutdown ends.
Congressional offices are continuing to receive and read the electronic letters even during the shutdown, and co-op voices can make a real difference, they said.
“Lawmakers pay attention when their constituents speak up,” Cushman said. “The more voices they hear saying the same thing, the harder it is to ignore. There is strength in numbers.”
Members of Congress also respect co-op CEOs and directors as leaders in their local communities, Snow said.
“Our co-op leaders are some of the best messengers we have,” he said. “If you’re a CEO or a representative on the co-op board, that means something when you weigh in on an issue. Lawmakers want to hear from you.”
Cushman and Snow work closely with NRECA lobbyists, who can use VCP data to highlight how many letters a specific congressional office has received.
“It can encourage lawmakers to sign on to co-sponsor the bill,” Snow said.
A total of 418 House members in the 48 states where electric co-ops are located have so far received an average of 95 letters since the advocacy campaign began in September, Cushman said.
The FEMA Act of 2025 was introduced in July by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and the committee’s senior Democrat, Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington. It had 29 co-sponsors in the House—11 Democrats and 16 Republicans—as of Oct. 20.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bill 57-3 on Sept. 3 and sent it on to the full House for a vote. If the House approves it, it still must be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
Click here if you would like to send a letter to your member of Congress in support of the FEMA Act.
Listen to a recent NRECA podcast episode on co-ops’ efforts to improve FEMA:
Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.