The Mudslide Recovery Act would direct the Secretaries of the Interior and Homeland Security, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to establish a joint pilot grant program. The program aims to address mudslide damage that occurs after a wildland fire by providing competitive grants to eligible recipients to implement innovative repair solutions.
Not later than 180 days after enactment, the Secretaries must stand up the program, define how grants will be awarded, and set criteria for project eligibility. The bill authorizes $5 million per fiscal year from 2026 through 2032 to support these efforts.
Eligible recipients include state governments, Indian Tribes or their forestry agencies, local governments, fire departments, and certain nonprofit organizations (including homeowner associations) that operate in communities at risk of wildland fires. Applications would be submitted to the Secretaries in a manner determined by the Secretaries concerned.
The act defines key terms and positions FEMA as the administrative channel through which the program operates, with the two agencies sharing responsibility for program design and oversight.
At a Glance
What It Does
Requires the Secretaries to jointly establish a pilot grant program within 180 days of enactment to award competitive grants for innovative solutions addressing mudslide damage after wildland fires. The program is funded by annual appropriations of $5 million (2026-2032).
Who It Affects
States, Indian Tribes and their forestry agencies, local governments, firefighting organizations, and select nonprofits (including HOAs) in areas at risk of wildland fires are eligible to apply for grants and implement projects.
Why It Matters
Creates a dedicated federal mechanism to test new approaches for stabilizing landscapes and repairing post-fire mudslide damage, potentially reducing downstream costs and accelerating recovery for fire-affected communities.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The Mudslide Recovery Act would create a discrete federal program administered by Interior and DHS (through FEMA) to pilot grants aimed at repairing mudslide damage that follows wildfires. Within 180 days of enactment, the Secretaries would stand up a competitive grant program designed to fund innovative, post-fire mudslide repair projects.
Eligible recipients include state governments, Indian Tribes or their forestry agencies, local governments, fire departments, and certain nonprofits such as homeowner associations that support communities in fire-prone regions. The program would be funded at $5 million per year from 2026 through 2032 to support these initiatives.
Applicants would submit grant requests to the Secretaries under terms they determine, with the goal of identifying and deploying effective, scalable solutions to reduce mudslide risk and accelerate recovery in affected areas.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill creates a pilot grant program to address mudslide damage occurring after wildfires.
Not later than 180 days after enactment, the Secretaries must jointly establish the program.
Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to eligible recipients including states, tribes, local governments, fire departments, forestry agencies, and certain nonprofits (including HOAs).
An authorization of appropriations of $5,000,000 is provided for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2032.
Administration of the program is shared by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Homeland Security through FEMA.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Short title and purpose
This section designates the act as the Mudslide Recovery Act. It provides the formal naming for citation and reference throughout the bill and related fiscal and programmatic analyses.
Mudslide Recovery Grant Program
Section 2 requires the Secretaries to jointly establish a pilot grant program within 180 days of enactment. Grants are to be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible recipients to implement innovative solutions that repair mudslide damage after wildland fires. The section also authorizes the Secretaries to determine the application process and the information required for grant submissions.
Definitions and Secretariat roles
This section defines who counts as an eligible recipient (states, Indian Tribes or their forestry agencies, local governments, fire departments, and certain nonprofit organizations including HOAs) and clarifies who the Secretaries concerned are (Interior and Homeland Security, acting through FEMA). It also broadens the definition of 'State' to cover U.S. states, DC, territories, and possessions.
Authorization of appropriations
Section 4 authorizes $5,000,000 in appropriations for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2032 to carry out the pilot program. This funding is intended to support competitive grants and associated program administration.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Government across all five countries.
Explore Government in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- State governments in fire-prone regions gain access to dedicated funds for mudslide repair projects, potentially accelerating stabilization and recovery.
- Indian Tribes and their forestry agencies receive eligibility to apply for grants aimed at post-fire mudslide mitigation and infrastructure repair on or near tribal lands.
- Local governments can leverage grants to fund community-scale stabilization projects and housing-infrastructure repairs impacted by mudslides following wildfires.
- Fire departments benefit from funding to support post-fire mitigation and rapid response initiatives to reduce downstream mudslide risk.
- Nonprofit organizations, including homeowner associations in at-risk communities, gain opportunities to partner on mitigation and repair efforts that local governments or agencies cannot fund alone.
Who Bears the Cost
- Federal agencies (Interior and DHS via FEMA) incur administrative costs to design, manage, and monitor the grant program.
- Grant recipients bear the remaining project costs beyond what the grant funds and must administer grant projects within the program’s rules.
- The federal government’s annual $5 million outlay represents the direct taxpayer cost to fund the pilot program.
- Communities and households in eligible areas may face ongoing maintenance or resilience costs not fully covered by the grants if projects require ongoing funding.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is balancing a limited federal appropriation against a broad slate of eligible recipients and needs in fire-prone regions, while requiring rapid program setup and meaningful, measurable outcomes for mudslide repair after wildfires.
The act creates a targeted funding stream with broad eligibility, which raises questions about how 'innovative solutions' will be defined and evaluated, and how success will be measured across diverse jurisdictions. Because the appropriation is modest relative to potential post-fire hazard costs, there is a risk of uneven distribution or prioritization that could leave high-need areas without timely relief.
The two agencies sharing administration could encounter coordination challenges, and the bill does not specify cost-sharing, matching requirements, or performance metrics. These ambiguities could affect implementation, oversight, and long-term impact.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.