Sen. Josh Hawley was able to get several big questions answered on issues facing Missourians during a U.S. Senate committee hearing on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in Washington D.C. this week.

One question Hawley asked Homeland Security Director Krisit Noem was, would she be able to commit to expediting federal funding to clean up after tornadoes that devasted parts of St. Louis and southern Missouri last week?

Noem said she will help on expediting the request from Gov. Mike Kehoe for a federal emergency declaration.

“People that incur this kind of damage and lose everything, then they sit there for months sometimes years and never get the promised critical response that they believe they should be getting from the federal government. And that’s why President Trump believes this agency needs to be dramatically restored,” said Hawley.

Noem also told Hawley she would expedite three requests for major disaster declaration funds from earlier storms that ravaged Missouri back in March.

Hawley also asked for a commitment from Noem that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), clearly communicates with Missouri tornado victims. Noem says reforms are on the way.

“That’s been the biggest challenge of FEMA in the past, is just the delayed response. People are counting on the assistance, and it never comes. And the paperwork is too complicated for an individual to complete on their own. They need help and assistance. So that’s part of the reforms that the FEMA review counsel will be undertaking. And we’ve got people that are out, frontline responders that are across the country that are serving on that counsel. And we’ll take your insight as well.”

Hawley toured the tornado damage in St. Louis this week. Over twenty people have lost their lives in Missouri due to storms over the past two months.