Disaster relief bill cuts worker wages to speed reconstruction
H.R. 10667 — Disaster Recovery and Resilience Act of 2026 · Filed by Virginia Foxx (R-NC) · Introduced Oct 1, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal disaster relief law to streamline recovery procedures after major disasters. It exempts vessels from maritime shipping restrictions (Jones Act) for 180 days to deliver disaster relief, suspends prevailing-wage requirements (Davis-Bacon Act) for disaster repair projects, creates an interagency Emergency Recovery Board to review and recommend improvements to disaster recovery processes, strengthens environmental compliance in hazard mitigation, and allows federal funding for pre-planned facility upgrades during disaster reconstruction.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is procedural modernization of disaster recovery—faster relief, lower costs, better coordination. However, it achieves cost reduction partly by suspending prevailing-wage protections, which shifts the benefit from workers to contractors and shippers.
What the text implies
- Davis-Bacon waiver applies to ALL disaster repairs, not just emergency stabilization—may permanently reduce prevailing wages on large reconstruction projects if disasters are frequent.
- Emergency Recovery Board has no enforcement authority and produces only recommendations; implementation depends on future congressional action, limiting practical impact.
- Jones Act exemption (180 days) is time-limited but may establish precedent for broader maritime deregulation in future disaster bills.
- Prescheduled technological improvements clause allows federal funding for facility upgrades unrelated to disaster damage if they were planned before the disaster—potential for scope creep.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Citizens benefit from faster disaster relief (Jones Act exemption), lower reconstruction costs (Davis-Bacon waiver), and improved recovery planning (Emergency Recovery Board). However, the Davis-Bacon waiver reduces prevailing wages for workers on disaster repairs, shifting savings to contractors rather than workers, and the Jones Act exemption may disadvantage domestic shipping workers. The net effect on ordinary citizens depends on whether faster/cheaper recovery outweighs reduced worker prote
Who stands to gain
- shipping companies and vessel operators (Jones Act exemption)
- construction contractors (Davis-Bacon waiver reduces labor costs)
- facility owners/operators (prescheduled upgrades funded via disaster assistance)
Named in the bill
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Jones Act (46 U.S.C. 12103, 12112, 55102), Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. chapter 31, subchapter IV), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act of 1973, U.S. Coast Guard
Where it stands
- Oct 1, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 1, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (4,723 characters) on Oct 16, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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