Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) led her House colleagues in a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting $45 million for Texans wrongly denied disaster relief under a duplication of benefits rule. 

“As you develop the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you appropriate at least $45 million for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program for victims of Hurricane Harvey that were previously and inappropriately barred from receiving these funds,” the members wrote. 

“After the Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Harvey, the federal government offered much-needed disaster aid,” the members continued.  “While several Texans qualified for FEMA assistance, those who were denied FEMA relief were offered a low-interest, direct loan through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to jump-start disaster recovery.  Businesses, nonprofits, homeowners, and renters used these loans to repair or replace property damaged in this devastating storm, allowing them to begin the recovery process and return to their homes and work as quickly as possible.  Loan applicants received these funds with the understanding and assurance from SBA that the loans would not disqualify them from CDBG-DR grants from HUD.  They later learned, however, that a duplication of benefits rule disqualified their grant applications. 

“We ask that the Appropriations Committee and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee provide at least $45 million to make this right for our constituents, many of whom are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Harvey after nearly eight years,” the members concluded.  “They put their trust in our federal agencies to help them recover from this historic storm and have been delayed through no fault of their own.” 

In 2022, 2023, and 2024, Congresswoman Fletcher led similar letters requesting congressional funding to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey who were previously barred from receiving disaster aid.  Congresswoman Fletcher has consistently worked to ensure delivery of disaster assistance, disaster mitigation funding, and common-sense improvements to the disaster recovery process.  In 2022, Congress passed her bill, the Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects (HELP) Act, H.R. 1917, to speed up disaster mitigation and recovery projects.  President Biden signed the bill into law in 2023.

To read the full text of this year’s letter, click here.