Lawmakers to OMB and FEMA Directors: “Further delays in the approval of this project will only create unnecessary downstream delays in the County’s and the State’s current disaster response”
WASHINGTON — As New Mexicans in Ruidoso and surrounding communities continue to rebuild from recent and catastrophic flash flooding that took three lives and destroyed homes and businesses, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) are calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Director David Richardson to disburse critical and overdue funds that would provide immediate assistance in response to the recent and catastrophic flash flooding in and around Ruidoso.
The delegation is urging OMB to release reimbursement funds from a project undertaken in the wake of last year’s South Fork and Salt Fires — currently stalled in “Large Project Review” — so they can be redirected to Lincoln County after recent severe flooding. The project in question was completed last year, has been fully reviewed by FEMA, and has an estimated cost of $7.7 million. These funds could be deployed immediately to assist Lincoln County and impacted residents as they continue to assess and respond to the recent severe flooding. But with no timeline provided to Lincoln County or the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) for completing the “Large Project Review” by the Administration, lawmakers are demanding answers.
“We write to request that you urgently complete your review of, and obligate funds for, a project that could provide immediate and much-needed funds to Lincoln County as they continue to assess and respond to the recent and catastrophic flash flooding in and around Ruidoso,” wrote the lawmakers.
The lawmakers continued, “In the wake of the South Fork and Salt Fires – DR-4795 – Lincoln County submitted Project #754897 to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Public Assistance Category A Debris Removal work, which was completed last year. The project, which has been fully reviewed by all necessary field and Consolidated Resource Center (CRC) staff – has an estimated cost of $7.7 million. We understand that the project is in Phase V and currently under “Large Project Review”; we also understand that Lincoln County and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) have not been provided a timeline for when they can expect OMB to complete that review."
“The sheer scale of the damage in Lincoln County requires an urgent and robust response from the federal government. We welcomed President Trump’s granting of an Emergency Declaration on July 10, 2025, but that declaration only provides limited, direct federal assistance. And while that assistance is both much appreciated and much needed, it is only the first step in a long road to recovery for the New Mexicans impacted by this deadly weather system,” the lawmakers noted, referencing their welcoming of President Trump’s Emergency Declaration. In a joint statement issued by the delegation on July 10th, the lawmakers renewed their calls on the President to grant a Major Disaster Declaration, which would unlock much-needed funding for the Ruidoso community to fully recover. “The most current estimate for the cost of the debris removal necessitated by the flash flooding in Lincoln County is approximately $17.6 million. The funding associated with Project #754897 would make an immediate impact in Lincoln County and is needed now. Further delays in the approval of this project will only create unnecessary downstream delays in the County’s and the State’s current disaster response.”
The lawmakers concluded, “The road to recovery for our constituents and communities will be long, and it will take a whole-of-government response to ensure that they are able to quickly and fully recover. Therefore, we urge you to immediately complete your review of Project #754897 and get the funding to DHSEM as quickly as possible.”
Read the full letter here and below:
Dear Director Vought and Acting Director Richardson:
We write to request that you urgently complete your review of, and obligate funds for, a project that could provide immediate and much-needed funds to Lincoln County as they continue to assess and respond to the recent and catastrophic flash flooding in and around Ruidoso. In the wake of the South Fork and Salt Fires – DR-4795 – Lincoln County submitted Project #754897 to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Public Assistance Category A Debris Removal work, which was completed last year. The project, which has been fully reviewed by all necessary field and Consolidated Resource Center (CRC) staff – has an estimated cost of $7.7 million. We understand that the project is in Phase V and currently under “Large Project Review”; we also understand that Lincoln County and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) have not been provided a timeline for when they can expect OMB to complete that review.
The sheer scale of the damage in Lincoln County requires an urgent and robust response from the federal government. We welcomed President Trump’s granting of an Emergency Declaration on July 10, 2025, but that declaration only provides limited, direct federal assistance. And while that assistance is both much appreciated and much needed, it is only the first step in a long road to recovery for the New Mexicans impacted by this deadly weather system. The most current estimate for the cost of the debris removal necessitated by the flash flooding in Lincoln County is approximately $17.6 million. The funding associated with Project #754897 would make an immediate impact in Lincoln County and is needed now. Further delays in the approval of this project will only create unnecessary downstream delays in the County’s and the State’s current disaster response.
The loss of life and devastation in Ruidoso as a result of catastrophic flooding is tragic and heartbreaking, with three confirmed fatalities and dozens of homes and businesses already destroyed. The road to recovery for our constituents and communities will be long, and it will take a whole-of-government response to ensure that they are able to quickly and fully recover. Therefore, we urge you to immediately complete your review of Project #754897 and get the funding to DHSEM as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
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