H.R. 5794 · 119th Congress
FEMA Operations Continuity Act of 2025
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4 cosponsors · 4 D
2 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to continue certain disaster relief, recovery, and mitigation operations during a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown).
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Oct 21, 2025
FEMA Operations Continuity Act of 2025
This bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to continue certain disaster relief, recovery, and mitigation operations during a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown).
Specifically, the bill authorizes FEMA to
- continue all disaster relief, recovery, and mitigation operations funded through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF);
- obligate and disburse DRF balances for all existing and future disaster declarations, including individual and public assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and
- maintain personnel and contract support necessary to ensure uninterrupted processing of claims and payments.
The bill also (1) requires all unobligated balances in the DRF to remain available to FEMA for expenditure during a lapse in appropriations; and (2) prohibits the funds from being withheld, sequestered, or reprogrammed during a lapse in appropriations, except as necessary to comply with the Antideficiency Act.
Finally, the bill specifies that, for the purposes of the Antideficiency Act, the FEMA operations authorized by this bill must be considered essential to protect human life and property and are exempt from government shutdown restrictions.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: FEMA Operations Continuity Act of 2025
Latest action (Dec 1, 2025): Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Policy area: Emergency Management · Origin: House · Introduced: Oct 21, 2025
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.