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U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz and Reps. Jill Tokuda and Ed Case want the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reopen the enrollment for the Individuals and Households Program and include Compacts of Free Association citizens.

The IHP is one of the many FEMA disaster response programs that have been used to support Maui communities as they continue to recover after the devastating wildfires in August, the delegation said in a statement.

“In Hawaii, we continue to work toward recovery from the devastating wildfires on Maui that occurred in August 2023,” the four lawmakers wrote. “COFA citizens are very much a part of the community impacted by the wildfires, but have only been able to access assistance through non-federal pathways up until this point.”

The lawmakers noted in their letter that a provision Hirono secured in the recently passed COFA agreements — signed into law last week by President Joe Biden — “enables COFA citizens to be eligible for FEMA programs, such as the IHP.”

Under the renewed treaties, citizens of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are allowed to study, work and live in the U.S. The U.S. has security control over the region.

“Allowing COFA citizens impacted by the Maui wildfires to be eligible for FEMA support will give them access to the most centralized and comprehensive recovery resources available from the federal government, and will put them on a more stable path to rebuilding their lives,” the lawmakers explained.

“Despite being lawful, taxpaying residents in the United States, for decades COFA citizens have been denied access to the programs their tax dollars support. In a time of need, we ask that you use any means available to ensure they are given an equal shot at recovering from this tragedy.”