Landrieu Cautions FEMA To Be Fair In Recouping Disaster Assistance Payments

WASHINGTON—

United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La, today urged FEMA to be fair in its effort to recoup money from people suspected of receiving improper federal disaster assistance payments following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other disasters.

The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security recently issued a management advisory report, disclosing that FEMA has identified about 160,000 individuals who may have wrongly received disaster assistance. FEMA, which has been working to improve its recoupment process, will soon begin trying to recoup money from those found to have received improper disbursements.

Sen. Landrieu said:

“FEMA must walk a fine line, careful to be fair to both disaster survivors and taxpayers. I expect FEMA to make sure it does not unfairly target people who had a legitimate need for help, or those who lost legal documents, leaving them unable to prove their eligibility for assistance. I believe it’s possible to get money into the hands of those who need it, efficiently and without sacrificing accountability and transparency. “

FEMA is currently reviewing the cases before deciding which recipients it will ask to pay back money.