SW Virginia News

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the American Relief Act, which aims to fund the government through March and provide disaster relief supplemental funds. This development comes after significant advocacy efforts from various lawmakers, including U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), who expressed support for the legislation.

"During a long, hard-fought week in DC, Congress had to navigate lots of moving pieces and complicated issues," Griffith stated. He further emphasized his role in advocating for disaster relief within the spending package: "I continually advocated for a spending package which included disaster relief. With the passage of the American Relief Act, we were successful in passing both government funding and disaster aid for Southwest Virginia in the end-of-year spending package."

The bill's next step is to gain approval from the U.S. Senate before it can be enacted into law.

In September, Hurricane Helene struck Southwest Virginia with devastating effects, leading to extensive property damage and power outages due to heavy rainfall and flooding along the New River. In response, Rep. Griffith actively assessed storm damage across affected areas such as Damascus in Washington County and Independence in Grayson County.

Following these assessments, Griffith collaborated with U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to support Governor Youngkin’s request for federal assistance from President Biden, resulting in an approved Federal Emergency Declaration and subsequent Major Disaster Declaration.

Efforts continue with nearly every locality in Virginia’s Ninth District now eligible for either individual or public assistance. Griffith also visited FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers to stay informed on recovery progress.

In legislative action related to disaster recovery, two bills co-sponsored by Rep. Griffith have been introduced: The Disaster Recovery and Resilience Act aims to streamline resource mobilization following major disasters declared by the President, while The Helene Recovery Support Act proposes $15 billion towards disaster relief efforts aiding small businesses.

Griffith has also joined a bipartisan effort urging President Biden's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to promptly request additional congressional appropriations supporting communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.