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Wednesday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., questioned U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell during a full U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing focused on the Biden Administration’s disaster relief supplemental funding request.
On Selma’s Relief Efforts:
During the hearing, Senator Britt spoke directly to her colleagues on the urgent need to pass a bipartisan disaster supplemental bill:
“On January 12, 2023, Selma, Alabama, was hit and devastated by an EF-2 tornado. This piece of legislation has some important funding for DRA, $10 million, to help with those communities that were affected by storms in 2023,” said Senator Britt.
“I want to make sure that money actually goes to these communities that were affected and need it, like Selma, to help them rebuild and create resiliency . . . I think we all know Selma and the community and the significant history that occurred there and the preservation of that is not just important for the state of Alabama, it’s important for the nation and it’s important for the globe,” she continued.
A video of Senator Britt’s line of questioning can be viewed here.
On Alabama’s Family Farmers:
Senator Britt also emphasized the critical need to support Alabama’s family farmers, especially in light of Congress’ failure to enact a Farm Bill this year.
“It’s hard to find a farmer in the entire state of Alabama who isn’t hurting . . . overall net cash farm income in Alabama declined more than $1 billion dollars between 2022 and 2023. This represents a staggering 33 percent loss in overall net cash farm income in just one year – much higher than the national decline of 19.5 percent,” Senator Britt stated. “The main cause of this loss is out of the control of these farm families . . . They’re taking a look at their input costs and things just don’t work.”
Senator Britt continued, “As Congress considers the disaster needs, we must also consider how to ensure our agriculture producers receive quick and robust economic relief to ensure that our hardworking family farmers can enter the next planting season with certainty and allow our farm creditors to lend with confidence . . . I want to make it clear that this is an immediate need for our famers in Alabama and across the nation.”
On Holding FEMA Accountable:
Senator Britt concluded her remarks by questioning FEMA Administrator Criswell on a FEMA supervisor instructing relief workers in Florida to “avoid homes advertising Trump.”
FEMA Administrator Criswell announced on November 9, 2024, that the supervisor had been terminated, calling the actions of the employee “reprehensible” and describing the matter as an “isolated incident.”
Senator Britt wrote Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Administrator Criswell voicing outrage and seeking answers to “how this happened and if anyone else was complicit, as well as assurance it will not happen again.”
The Administrator provided a response to Senator Britt’s letter on November 19, saying that further investigation is underway into the incident.
“I just want to clarify that this investigation will not just be about one incident, you’re going to allow this investigation to be across the footprint in all the states that FEMA operates,” Senator Britt emphasized. Administrator Criswell responded in the affirmative, in addition to confirming that if any FEMA personnel acted similarly to the recently fired supervisor, they would also be terminated.
