WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) requested that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development fully fund the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program to provide much-needed relief to Missourians. This program can provide additional, flexible resources for long-term rehabilitation and recovery for the St. Louis region following the 2025 tornadoes.
Senator Hawley wrote, “I write to urge the subcommittee to allocate robust funding in the next funding vehicle for long-term disaster relief. As you may know, on May 16, 2025, a devastating tornado struck the City of St. Louis, killing at least five people and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. President Trump rightly approved a major disaster declaration for the incident. One year later, further federal resources are still required to help this community rebuild.”
He continued, “Local officials in Missouri estimate the outstanding federal needs for full rehabilitation and recovery are between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. The Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program can provide the flexible, long-term recovery funding that the region requires for housing, infrastructure, and economic revitalization. This program has historically been used for such purposes, and Missouri has received substantial allocations for major disasters in the past. However, there have been no additional appropriations for this program since the end of 2024.”
Senator Hawley concluded, “I request that the CBDG-DR program be fully funded to provide adequate resources to meet these outstanding needs in Missouri.”