WASHINGTON — FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell testified Thursday on Capitol Hill before the House Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology and fielded questions about the agency's Disaster Relief Fund. 

She said FEMA is closely monitoring the balances.

"We recently submitted our report to Congress on the balance of the funds at the end, for the end of June, or through the end of June, and right now we anticipate a shortfall towards the mid and end of August," she told lawmakers. 

In response to a question by Republican Rep. James Moylan of Guam, Criswell said the agency is doing all it can to maximize the amount of money available for disaster relief.

"These last several months, we have been having an increased focus on recouping dollars that have been obligated, but have not been needed. And, so we've been able to make sure that we are pushing as far as we can the impact that these disasters are having on the balance within the Disaster Relief Fund," she said. 

Hurricane season started on June 1 and doesn’t end until Nov. 30. But, the subcommittee’s top Democrat, Congressman Troy Carter of Louisiana, said the Biden administration already has made 38 major disaster declarations this year. Moylan and Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida have sponsored legislation to provide the fund with supplemental funding.

“I’m co-leading HR 4295 with Rep. Moskowitz, which is the House companion that aims to replenish the disaster relief funds in the tune of $11.5 billion. Can we count on you for your support of these measures?” Moylan asked. 

“We appreciate the interest of Congress, and the ability to continue to support our efforts to respond and recover from disasters,” Criswell said. 

Moskowitz echoed the need to re-fill the fund sooner rather than later. 

“We shouldn’t have to wait for the money to run out in the middle of hurricane season. We should be we should be proactive,” Moskowitz said. 

While the legislation has bipartisan support, no votes have been scheduled.