A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has yet to identify lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report examined the status of obligations and expenditures related to COVID-19 and how FEMA estimated spending from January 2020 to March 2024. For fiscal years 2020 through 2024, Congress passed both annual and supplemental appropriations for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) totaling $97 billion, the GAO said.
The COVID-19 pandemic was the first time a president authorized the use of the DRF, meant to provide aid during natural disasters, to respond to a nationwide public health emergency. Since March 2020, the president has issued 59 major disaster declarations for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five territories, and three Tribes. FEMA manages the DRF.
Initial estimates for funding too low
Initially, FEMA officials told GAO officers that $17.6 billion for COVID-19 assistance was allocated for the pandemic response in 2020, but a FEMA official told the GAO that the first few months of the pandemic "blew that [funding] out of the water."
"As of March 2024, FEMA had committed to spend $125.3 billion from the fund for COVID-19–related assistance like vaccinations, testing sites, and more—and had spent $103.6 billion of it," the GAO wrote. New York, Texas, and California had been given at least $15 billion each, the report states.
The funds have been used for a variety of activities, including reimbursements for funeral expenses, vaccination and testing sites, and personal protective equipment for medical staff. FEMA has said it expects to fulfill funding obligations for the pandemic through August 2026.
According to the report, FEMA has estimated that obligations would total $142.2 billion through the end of fiscal year 2024 and $171.6 billion for the entire disaster. The agency, however, has not been within 10% of the annual estimate by the end of any fiscal year since 2021.
To remedy this, the GAO recommends more work from FEMA to describe lessons learned during the first 4 years of the pandemic.
"In the future, FEMA may face challenges responding to a catastrophic event that is similar in scope or duration to COVID-19 and that could increase the risk of exceeding DRF resources," the GAO wrote. "By identifying and documenting lessons learned for estimating obligations based on its experience with COVID-19, FEMA can better position itself to adapt to similar estimation challenges in the future."
By identifying and documenting lessons learned for estimating obligations based on its experience with COVID-19, FEMA can better position itself to adapt to similar estimation challenges in the future.
FEMA, however, said it does not agree with the recommendation that it produce a document of lessons learned related to estimating obligations for declared catastrophic disasters based on its experience with COVID-19. FEMA officials also told the GAO they have no plans to do so.
