H.R. 2956: Disclosing Aid Spent to Ensure Relief Act of 2025

The Disclosing Aid Spent to Ensure Relief Act of 2025, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, aims to enhance transparency in the federal government's spending on disaster-related assistance. Here’s a breakdown of the key components and requirements outlined in the bill:

Key Objectives

The primary goal of the bill is to require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to compile and submit an annual report to Congress detailing all federal aid provided for disaster response, recovery, and mitigation efforts. This report is intended to help Congress and the President with budget planning and to ensure that disaster spending is transparent and accountable.

Annual Reporting Requirements

The legislation mandates that:

• On the same day the President submits the annual budget to Congress, the OMB Director must also present a report on federal disaster assistance for the fiscal year that has just concluded.
• This report must cover various forms of financial obligations related to federal disaster assistance, including those from multiple federal agencies.

Details to be Included in the Report

The required report must provide extensive information including, but not limited to:

• The total amount of federal disaster-related assistance obligations for the fiscal year.
• A breakdown of this spending by federal agency and department.
• The specific disasters for which funds were allocated.
• Spending categorized by disaster type, which includes disaster response and recovery expenses as well as mitigation costs.
• The form of assistance provided, whether as loans or grants.

Accessibility of Information

The OMB is responsible for ensuring that the report is publicly accessible. It must be uploaded to the OMB website and designed to be easily searchable, sortable, and downloadable by the public.

Effective Date

The reporting requirements established by this act will take effect starting with the President’s budget submission for fiscal year 2027.

Rationale Behind the Bill

In the findings section, the bill emphasizes the importance of understanding the scope and scale of federal expenditures on disaster assistance. It explains that:

• With limited budgets, having clear data on disaster spending helps in financial decision-making.
• No comprehensive, publicly available figure currently exists for federal disaster-related expenditures, pointing to a need for improved transparency.
• Recovery operations are long-term and require substantial resources, necessitating detailed tracking of spending across multiple agencies to enhance government budgeting processes.
• Knowledge of these expenses can highlight areas where future costs might be reduced and vulnerabilities to disasters mitigated.

Relevant Companies

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