Why This Matters Tribes can get important economic benefits from energy projects on their lands, such as revenue for government operations. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Tribal Energy Financing Program (TEFP) offers loans and loan guarantees for such projects. However, Tribes may be experiencing barriers to participation, which could limit development of untapped energy resources on tribal lands. GAO Key Takeaways Since its first solicitation in 2018, TEFP has received 20 applications for loans and loan guarantees for various project types and amounts. Requests ranged from $23.7 million for a solar project to $8.7 billion for an ammonia production facility for low-carbon fuel. DOE’s Loan Programs Office, which manages TEFP, has closed one loan guarantee and no loans. According to DOE officials, seven other applications were active as of July 18, 2025. Tribes said TEFP can finance a variety of energy projects needed for energy production and economic development. However, aspects of TEFP’s design and implementation create barriers. For example, DOE hires outside lawyers and technical experts to review projects. Tribal applicants are required to cover the costs of these services, which can be high and unpredictable. Tribes may avoid applying for the program until DOE revises its review processes to reduce or eliminate the cost. Additionally, there are few DOE program staff with tribal experience to review applications, which can lengthen reviews. Without staff with the necessary expertise, Tribes may continue to experience barriers to securing TEFP financing. Status of All 20 Applications to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Tribal Energy Financing Program, as of February 2025 Note: Active applications include closed loans, which DOE has finalized with the applicant and continues to monitor throughout the loan term. Inactive applications have been put on hold, withdrawn, or abandoned. DOE officials confirmed that they had not received any new applications for the program as of July 18, 2025. How GAO Did This Study We analyzed agency data and documents and interviewed agency officials, potential tribal participants, and tribal stakeholders. We compared agency efforts with relevant laws, regulations, guidance, and executive orders.

What GAO Found The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the lead agency for coordinating federal disaster response efforts. This includes working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on debris removal and emergency repair of damaged public infrastructure and with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on household hazardous materials removal and sampling and analyzing contaminated water. Recent disasters highlight key challenges for the federal response workforce. Hurricanes Helene and Milton made landfall in the U.S. in late September and early October 2024, respectively, devastating portions of the southeastern U.S with catastrophic inland flooding, storm surges, and tornadoes. These disasters resulted in over 290 deaths, directly or indirectly, according to the National Hurricane Center. Starting January 7, 2025, a series of catastrophic wildfires developed in Los Angeles County, California. The wildfires killed more than two dozen people, destroyed more than 15,000 homes and businesses and created unhealthy air quality for millions of people. FEMA, USACE, and EPA, as well as other federal agencies, deployed thousands of personnel to respond. However, GAO found that the concurrent nature of the disasters, limited disaster workforce capacity, and undertrained surge responders posed challenges to federal agencies responding. For example, following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, only 4 percent of FEMA’s incident management workforce was available to deploy as of November 1, 2024. USACE and EPA also described challenges with responding to an increasing number of disasters. For example, EPA officials stated that the agency relies on its force of about 210-260 on-scene coordinators to respond to disasters. Deploying them for disaster response led to backlogs in these coordinators’ primary responsibilities related to oil and hazardous material spills. In February 2025, GAO added Improving the Delivery of Federal Disaster Assistance to its High-Risk List, in part due to longstanding challenges in this area and increasing demands. Congress and the President have signaled an interest in enacting broader reforms to FEMA’s scope and mission, including transitioning roles to state and local governments. Additionally, since January 2025, the Executive Branch has taken several steps to reduce the size of its workforce. For example: The number of active FEMA employees decreased from about 25,800 as of January 1 to about 23,350 as of June 1, 2025, according to FEMA data. This decrease of 2,446 includes the 1,465 employees who participated in a workforce reduction program as of June 1, 2025, and employees who left the agency for any other reason (see figure). FEMA reported that 24 Senior Executive Service employees had departed the agency between January 25 and June 1, 2025, just before the start of the hurricane season. Of these, 20 departed as part of a workforce reduction program. Agency officials noted it is challenging to lose staff with experience and expertise and that the agency now faces significant skills gaps in its leadership cadre. Officials at USACE and EPA also shared concerns about meeting disaster response mission responsibilities due to workforce reductions Workforce Changes at FEMA Between January 1 and June 1, 2025 While reform efforts are ongoing, as of this report, FEMA’s responsibilities related to disaster response have not changed. FEMA and other federal agencies spreading a reduced number of staff across the same or a higher number of disasters nationwide could reduce the effectiveness of federal disaster response for upcoming disasters. We will continue to monitor developments in this area as part of our ongoing work Why GAO Did This Study GAO was asked to review long-standing challenges and emerging issues in federal response efforts for recent disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. This report, the first in a series, provides information on the support selected federal agencies provided, workforce challenges that arose during recent disaster response efforts, and recent workforce changes and implications for future disasters. GAO conducted site visits to areas affected by these disasters; interviewed federal, state, and local officials; obtained agency data and documentation on FEMA workforce availability and reductions; and reviewed Executive Orders and other documentation about recent changes to the federal disaster workforce. For more information, contact Chris Currie at CurrieC@gao.gov.