ARLINGTON, Va. – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jim Matheson today released the following statement in support of the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025, comprehensive and bipartisan legislation to reform and modernize the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“When disaster strikes, electric cooperatives are regularly on the front lines working to restore power in some of the hardest hit areas. FEMA is a critical partner in these efforts,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “Reforming FEMA into a stronger, more responsive agency will help strengthen rural resilience, protect taxpayer dollars and ensure essential services are restored as quickly as possible after a disaster.”
“Thanks to Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen for taking the lead to ensure FEMA works for all Americans. This bill creates a smarter, modernized FEMA that helps communities recover after a disaster.”
The FEMA Act of 2025 was introduced by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL) and Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ). The legislation makes substantial changes to the disaster delivery model and Stafford Act, including changes to existing FEMA Individual Assistance, Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation programs. It would also remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and establish it as a cabinet level independent agency.
As a result of sustained advocacy by electric cooperatives, the legislation includes a provision to establish an expedited timeline for the reimbursement of emergency work, as well as a more efficient process for the approval and execution of permanent work activities necessary to repair, restore, reconstruct, or replace facilities delivering critical services that are damaged or destroyed by a major disaster. It will also restructure FEMA’s hazard mitigation programs to make additional resources accessible to co-ops to help improve reliability in preparation for future disasters.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.
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