GAO: 3.7 billion in CDBG budgeted as FEMA match; San Juan generation, 7.5 million

GAO reported that, as of December 2024, 18 of 52 grantees had budgeted about 7 percent, or 3.7 billion dollars, of 49.4 billion in CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT awards to meet FEMA cost shares, and spent about 289 million of that budget. CDBG-DR represented 2.6 billion and CDBG-MIT 1.1 billion. Puerto Rico was interviewed and visited. It is using about 7.5 million in CDBG-DR as match for a 75 million FEMA Public Assistance project repairing two units at the San Juan Central Generation Station, which officials said supplies 400 megawatts. This is CDBG used as FEMA match, not other grant-spending measures.

Source: GAO. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107603