Six months ago, Congress pumped $8 billion into a federal account that pays for emergency road repairs after storms and other disasters.
The funding boost came after the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief fund was stretched by a string of storms and wildfires and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Local officials welcomed the move, even though it continued a long-standing trend of the federal government starving the emergency fund until disaster strikes.
Now, with the 2025 hurricane season underway, they warn that President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget would continue that pattern — as it would return the fund to its annual baseline of about $100 million a year. They argue federal lawmakers need to provide a more muscular and sustainable stream of money to repair highways that are damaged by disasters.
“With the number of unprecedented disasters happening, Congress should be focused on refilling our emergency funding,” the National League of Cities said in a statement, noting that the FHWA program is only one part of the government’s disaster response system.
