Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, and Leader McConnell:
The undersigned coalition of state and local chambers of commerce urge Congress to expeditiously pass an emergency supplemental appropriations bill during the upcoming Congressional work period to replenish funding for disaster relief programs that have been or are at threat of being exhausted as result of recent natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Additional funding is necessary to both help already devastated communities and ensure that there are adequate resources to respond to future droughts, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and other severe weather.
We also urge you to take the opportunity to complete work on bipartisan proposals to expand predisaster mitigation and resilience projects. These efforts not only help communities prepare for natural disasters, they reduce after disaster costs, including for federal taxpayers.
Emergency Supplemental Funding
Specifically, we urge the Congress to approve immediate additional funding for:
- The Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which are a critical lifeline for small businesses, non-profits, and homeowners as they seek to rebuild after a natural disaster.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster recovery and assistance programs, which help individuals, families, and local governments in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster.
- The Department of Transportation’s emergency relief program, which assists with repairing and replacing critical national assets and lifeline infrastructure impacted by unforeseen disasters. These roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure projects are vital to local economies.
Bipartisan Predisaster Policy Solutions
The following predisaster mitigation policies and others, included in bipartisan legislation already advancing through regular order offer a solid downpayment that will help bolster both current and future federal resilience capabilities in a smart and efficient manner:
- H.R. 6093, the Weather Act, H.R. 7070, the Wildfire Response Improvement Act, H.R. 7671, the Disaster Management Cost Modernization Act, and H.R. 8790, the Fix our Forests Act, and for additional funding and predisaster authorities for comprehensive programs, including CDBG-DR and small business loans.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, together with the Chamber Foundation and Allstate recently released the Preparedness Payoff, a report which states that for every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation and resilience projects and measures, there are $13 in overall savings. This means that planning ahead and adapting infrastructure to anticipated disaster risks (e.g., rerouting, hardening infrastructure, and nature-based solutions) can decrease losses due to disasters and reduce the impact on the economy, allowing communities to recover more quickly.
Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to working with Congress to help communities recover from recent disaster and ensure that the policies and support are in place to prepare for future disasters.
Sincerely,
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Alabama
Greater Pell City Chamber of Commerce
Mobile Chamber
Opelika Chamber of Commerce
Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce
Arizona
Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce
Greater Phoenix Chamber
Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce
Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce
Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce
Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce
Tempe Chamber of Commerce
West Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance
Arkansas
Arkansas State Chamber / AIA
Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce
Rogers-Lowell Chamber
California
Brea Chamber of Commerce
California Chamber of Commerce
Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce
Coalition of California Chambers Orange County
Gateway Chambers Alliance
Greater Bakersfield Chamber
Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce
Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce
Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce
Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce
Laguna Hills Chamber of Commerce
Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce
Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce
North San Diego Business Chamber
Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce
Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Pasadena Chamber of Commerce & Civic Association
Porterville Chamber of Commerce
Rancho Cordova Area Chamber of Commerce
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce
Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce
Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce
Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce
South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce
Valley Industry & Commerce Association
Vista Chamber of Commerce
West Ventura County Business Alliance
Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce
Colorado
Aurora Chamber of Commerce
Colorado Chamber of Commerce
Vail Valley Partnership
Connecticut
CBIA
Florida
Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce
Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce
Florida Chamber of Commerce
Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce
Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce
South Tampa Chamber of Commerce
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce
Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce
Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce
Georgia
Barrow County Chamber of Commerce
Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce
Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce
Columbia County Chamber of Commerce
Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce
Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce
Fayette County Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce
Greater Vidalia Chamber
Habersham County Chamber of Commerce
Hazlehurst-Jeff Davis County Chamber of Commerce
Henry County Chamber of Commerce
Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
Metro Atlanta Chamber
Newton Chamber of Commerce
Paulding Chamber of Commerce
Roberta-Crawford Chamber of Commerce
Rome Floyd Chamber of Commerce
Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce
Hawaii
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Kapolei Chamber of Commerce
Kauaʻi Chamber
Idaho
Boise Metro Chamber
Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce
Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
Illinois
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Dixon Chamber of Commerce & Main Street
Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce
Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry
GLMV Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce
RiverBend Growth Association
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce
Indiana
Crossroads Chamber
Fulton County Chamber of Commerce
Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce
Indiana Chamber Executives Association
Indiana Chamber of Commerce
Kendallville Area Chamber of Commerce
OneZone Chamber
Iowa
Waverly Chamber of Commerce
Kentucky
Commerce Lexington
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Union County Chamber of Commerce
Louisiana
Committee of 100 for Economic Development
Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce
Louisiana Association of Business & Industry
One Acadiana
St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce
Maryland
Harford County Chamber of Commerce
Maryland Chamber of Commerce
Massachusetts
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Michigan
Detroit Regional Chamber
Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Michigan Chamber of Commerce
Midland Business Alliance
Mississippi
Mississippi Economic Council
Missouri
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Greater West Plains Area Chamber of Commerce
Montana
Billings Chamber of Commerce
Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture
Helena Area Chamber of Commerce
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Nebraska
Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Nevada
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
Vegas Chamber
New Hampshire
Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire
New Jersey
Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
New Mexico
New Mexico Chamber of Commerce
New York
North Country Chamber of Commerce
North Carolina
Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce
Anson County Chamber of Commerce
Apex Chamber of Commerce
Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Avery County Chamber of Commerce
Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce
Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce
Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce
Caldwell Chamber of Commerce
Charlotte Regional Business Alliance
Chatham Chamber of Commerce
Clayton Chamber of Commerce
Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce
Four Oaks Chamber of Commerce
Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce
Greater Winston Salem, Inc.
Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce
Henderson County Chamber of Commerce
Highlands Chamber of Commerce
Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce
Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce
Jackson County Chamber of Commerce
Madison County Chamber of Commerce
Matthews Chamber of Commerce
McDowell Chamber of Commerce
Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce
Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce
Moore County Chamber
Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce
Randleman Chamber of Commerce
Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce
Rowan County Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro
The Chamber of Catawba County
Triangle East Chamber of Commerce
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce
North Dakota
The Chamber - Grand Forks / East Grand Forks
Ohio
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce
Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
Huber Heights Chamber of Commerce
Marion Area Chamber of Commerce
Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce
Streetsboro Area Chamber of Commerce
Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce
Troy Area Chamber of Commerce
Oklahoma
Bixby Metro Chamber of Commerce
Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
Norman Chamber of Commerce
State Chamber of Oklahoma
Tulsa Regional Chamber
Oregon
Albany Area Chamber of Commerce
Canby Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce
Lake County Chamber of Commerce
McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce
Oregon Business & Industry
Portland Metro Chamber
Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce
Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce
Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce
Union County Chamber of Commerce
Washington County Chamber of Commerce
Pennsylvania
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce
Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce
Harrisburg Regional Chamber
Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce
Somerset County Chamber of Commerce
South West Regional Chamber of Commerce
Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina
Aiken Chamber of Commerce
Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce
Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce
Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce
Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce
Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce
Greenville Chamber of Commerce
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Upstate Chamber Coalition
Tennessee
Blount County Chamber of Commerce
Bristol Chamber of Commerce
Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce
Kingsport Chamber
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Texas
Abilene Chamber of Commerce
Brazosport Area Chamber of Commerce
Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce
Greater Houston Partnership
Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce
North Texas Commission
Utah
Salt Lake Chamber
South Valley Chamber of Commerce
St. George Area Chamber of Commerce
Vermont
Vermont Chamber of Commerce
Virginia
Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
Danville Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce
Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce
Hampton Roads Chamber
Highland County Chamber of Commerce
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Virginia Peninsula Chamber
Washington
Association of Washington Business
Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce
Coupeville Chamber of Commerce
Covington Chamber of Commerce
Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce
Lakewood Chamber of Commerce
West Virginia
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Wisconsin
Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce
Forward Janesville
Greater Green Bay Chamber
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
Wyoming
Campbell County Chamber of Commerce
Casper Area Chamber of Commerce
Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce
Wyoming State Chamber of Commerce
