(The Center Square) – Transparency sweeping through “the swamp” otherwise known as Washington has a new proposal led by senators from the Carolinas and similar hard-hit disaster areas in Florida, Tennessee and California.
The SBA Disaster Transparency Act would require the Small Business Administration, like FEMA since 2015, to make monthly reporting requirements for the Disaster Loan Account publicly available. Hurricane Helene killed 233 across seven states and delivered an estimated $53 billion in damage to North Carolina alone just months before California wildfires caused an estimated $250 billion in damage, charring more than 57,000 acres.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd and California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff are backing the proposal authored by South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott. Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott are also cosponsors. They say the need for oversight and reform of the SBA Disaster Loan Account is evident from each of the natural disasters on opposite sides of the country.
“The people of western North Carolina should not be put in a position where the SBA’s account is depleted due to inadequate planning,” Budd said in a release. “These loans should follow the same reporting requirements as other agencies, like FEMA, so that funds are available when needed.”
Schiff said the oversight ensures those needing support get it swiftly.
“When I surveyed the devastation from Hurricane Helene, I knew the road to recovery would be long and difficult, but that South Carolinians are resilient,” Scott said. “I remain committed to working on lasting solutions with President Trump and Congress to ensure we have effective, top-of-the-line disaster response efforts in place.”
Blackburn’s desire for fiscal responsibility is even more apparent from the package of bills she introduced known as the DOGE Acts. The six proposals, she says, are a way to “right size the federal government.”
The fires in California began on Jan. 7 and lasted 24 days, fueled by dry conditions and high winds. Twenty-nine were killed.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It dissipated over the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, dropping more than 30 inches in some places and 24 consistently across more.
