Disaster Relief Fairness Act of 2026

The Disaster Relief Fairness Act of 2026 aims to streamline and ensure the approval of major disaster declarations requested by state governors or Indian tribal governments. For a specified period between January 20, 2025, and January 20, 2029, any such request for a major disaster declaration will be deemed approved by the President, overriding certain provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The President is then mandated to provide the requested assistance if the incident meets specific Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) criteria. This includes either meeting per capita indicators for public assistance or if the FEMA Regional Administrator determines individual assistance is warranted based on established factors. Furthermore, the bill explicitly prohibits the President from denying or withholding assistance for these covered requests solely due to a missed deadline.