WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), and Representatives Betty McCollum (MN-04), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Angie Craig (MN-02), and Kelly Morrison (MN-03) in sending a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Cameron Hamilton regarding prolonged delays and disruptions to federal disaster mitigation and response funding for Minnesota communities. FEMA has not awarded any of Minnesota’s 11 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) applications related to the 2024 storms and flooding, pending grants which would support mitigation projects in Blue Earth and Rock Counties and the cities of Wabasha and Winona.
Last week, Congressman Finstad spoke with FEMA Administrator Hamilton, discussed the status of these projects, and requested a timeline for Wabasha’s HMGP for their generator lift project, Blue Earth County’s HMGP for home buyouts due to the June 2024 flooding, and Rock County’s Buffalo Ridge Regional Railroad Authority Public Assistance Grant.
The letter reads:
Dear Administrator Hamilton:
We write to urge you to address prolonged delays and disruptions to federal disaster mitigation and response funding for Minnesota, which assist our constituents recovering and preparing for disasters. We ask that you quickly approve these grant applications and move forward with obligations and payments for pending grants.
Minnesota has submitted eleven Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) applications related to record storms and flooding in 2024 (DR-4797-MN), none of which have received an award. Now more than two years since the disaster, FEMA has not provided the state of Minnesota’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) Division with a timeline for decisions on these applications. This funding is crucial for advancing recovery and mitigation work across the state, and its delay is straining local governments already operating under constrained resources. Applicants for pending HMGP grants include the cities of Wabasha, Rockville, Waterville, and Winona, as well as the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission and Le Sueur and Blue Earth counties. In particular, Blue Earth County residents have waited more than two years for FEMA’s decision on much-needed funding related to the partial failure of Rapidan Dam in June 2024. Also pending are HMGP applications that support state disaster mitigation capacity as well as updates to hazard mitigation plans for White Earth Nation and 13 counties: Itasca, Kandiyohi, Carlton, Cass, Dodge, Le Sueur, McLeod, Renville, Koochiching, Mahnomen, Rock, Stevens, and Traverse.
Funding delays extend further beyond these mitigation grants related to the 2024 flooding and storms. Minnesota’s FY23 Building Resilient Infrastructure & Communities (BRIC) management costs remain unpaid and without an update since May 2026. Those funds support state emergency management staff salaries. Public Assistance (DR-4531-MN) to reimburse Minnesota counties and hospitals for pandemic-related costs remains pending with FEMA’s deadline to close all associated costs approaching. We share our constituents’ concerns about FEMA’s ability to obligate and pay these funds within the required timeline, leaving Minnesota on the hook for emergency protective measures and other costs that the federal government is obligated to reimburse.
We urge you to act swiftly to deliver these resources to Minnesota communities and provide a definitive timeline for these funding decisions and process, as well as engage with the state’s HSEM Division to clarify the criteria and process for the administration’s review of these grants. If there are any concerns or barriers that would prevent payment, we request a written explanation and timeline for corrective action.
Time and time again, Minnesotans have stepped up to support their neighbors after natural disasters. Impacted communities repair the damage and rebuild following these disasters, but timely federal assistance is critical to recovery and mitigation efforts. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Amy Klobuchar, United States Senator
Tina Smith, United States Senator
Betty McCollum, Member of Congress
Pete Stauber, Member of Congress
Angie Craig, Member of Congress
Brad Finstad, Member of Congress
Kelly Morrison, Member of Congress
