"They were becoming more frequent, deadlier, and the communities where we live and work were really underprepared for the increased devastation that we were witnessing first-hand, he told Ohio Capital Journal. Despite rising needs, federal relief remains up in the air in many cases. Jessica Arriens of the National Wildlife Federation noted that FY 2026 flood-related appropriations did not experience the drastic cuts previously proposed and said a $500,000 allocation for the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative appeared in a House bill."
"Certainly a lot lower than our request, but if that does pass, it would be the first time that (the initiative) ever got federal funding, so we'd love to see it higher because that program's really impactful, but we'll certainly take what we can get, Arriens said.It doesn't necessarily matter how much gets appropriated if President Trump and cabinet secretaries won't allow federal agencies like FEMA to spend the money that's appropriated."
Coalition efforts formed after the catastrophic July 2022 floods in eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia as floods grew more frequent and deadlier and communities proved underprepared. FY2026 flood-related appropriations avoided drastic proposed cuts and included a $500,000 allocation for the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, though advocates said that amount was far below requests. Federal spending of appropriated aid has been blocked or delayed, including reports of more than $100,000 in FEMA funds being held and $882 million rescinded from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. The Government Accountability Office found FEMA broke the law by blocking or delaying approved aid. The U.S. House introduced a FEMA Act of 2025.
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