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State crisis managers say deep cuts to federal security funding, restrictions on preparedness funding and funding delays tied to litigation are increasingly threatening their ability to respond to emergencies.
All this is creating confusion, frustration and anxiety. The federal government shutdown isn’t helping.
“Every day that we stay in this grant launderer decreases the time available to spend these critical funds responsibly and effectively,” said Communications Director Keele Amundson. Airport Emergency Management Agency.
The uncertainty has caused some emergency management agencies to stop filling open positions and make hasty decisions on critical training and purchases.
experts Says the developments have complicated state-led emergency efforts, undermining the Republican administration’s stated goal of handing over more responsibility for disaster response to states and local governments.
In an email statement, Department of Homeland Security Said that the new requirements were necessary due to “recent population changes” and that the changes to the security grant were made “to be responsive to the new and urgent threats facing our country.”
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Many DHS and FEMA The grants help states, tribes, and territories prepare for climate disasters and prevent a variety of threats. This money pays for salaries and training, and things like vehicles, communications equipment and software.
State emergency managers say the money has become increasingly important as the range of threats expands, including pandemics and cyberattacks.
FEMA, a part of DHS, distributed $320 million in emergency management demonstration grants among states on September 29. But the next day, it told states that the money was put on hold until they submitted new population counts. The directive demanded that they remove people “removed from the State in accordance with the immigration laws of the United States” and clarify their methodology.
The amount of money distributed to states is based on US Census population data. Trina Sheets, executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, the group representing emergency managers, said the new requirement forcing states to submit revised calculations is “something we’ve never seen before.” “It is certainly not the responsibility of emergency management to certify the population.”
With no guidance on how to calculate the numbers, Hawaii’s Amundson said staff scrambled to gather data from the 2020 census and other sources, then subtracted the number of “noncitizens” based on an estimate from an advocacy group.
They are not sure the methodology will be accepted. But during the federal shutdown, their FEMA contacts were furloughed and the grant portal was closed, leaving them out of reach. Other states said they were assessing the request or waiting for further guidance.
In its statement, DHS said FEMA needs to be certain of its funding levels before awarding grant money, and that includes updates on state populations due to deportations.
Experts said the delays caused by the request could most impact local governments and agencies that receive grant money passed by states because their budgets and staffs are smaller. Additionally, FEMA also reduced the time frame recipients have to spend the money from three years to one year. This may prevent agencies from undertaking long-term projects.
Brian Coon, president and CEO of consulting firm IEM and former Florida emergency management chief, said state governments and local agencies need time to adjust their budgets to any changes.
“Disruptions to those services could put American lives at risk,” he said.
Grant programs tied to litigation
In another move creating uncertainty, FEMA in September drastically cut some states’ allocations from another source of funding. The $1 billion Homeland Security grant program is supposed to be based on assessed risks, and states give most of the money to police and fire departments.
new york $100 million less was received than expected, a 79% reduction, while Illinois saw a 69% reduction. Both states are politically controlled by Democrats. Meanwhile, some territories received unexpected windfall gains, including the US Virgin Islands, which received more than double its expected allocation.
The National Emergency Management Association said the grants are to be distributed based on risk and that it is “unclear what risk methodology was used to determine the new funding allocation”.
A federal judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order on September 30, after a group of Democratic states challenged the cuts in court. This forced FEMA to cancel the award notifications and refrain from making payments until further court order.
“This withholding underscores the uncertainty and political instability surrounding these awards,” said Frank Pace, Administrator of the Hawaii Office of Homeland Security. The Democratic-controlled state received more money than expected, but there are fears the bonuses could be taken away with a lawsuit.
In Hawaii, where wildfires devastated the Maui town of Lahaina in 2023 and killed more than 100 people, the state, counties and nonprofits face delays in paying contractors, completing projects and the “real possibility” of “even furloughs or layoffs” if funding freezes and government shutdowns continue, he said.
The numerous failures prompted Washington State’s Division of Emergency Management to stop filling some positions “out of an abundance of caution,” said communications director Karina Shagren.
A series of delays and cuts disrupt state-federal partnerships
Emergency management experts said the move has created uncertainty for those in charge of preparedness.
The Trump administration has suspended the $3.6 billion FEMA disaster resiliency program, cut the FEMA workforce and disrupted routine training.
Other lawsuits are also complicating the decision. A Manhattan federal judge last week ordered DHS and FEMA to restore $34 million in transit security grants withheld from New York City because of its immigration policies.
Another judge in Rhode Island ordered DHS to permanently stop enforcing grant conditions tied to immigration enforcement, after ruling in September that the conditions were unlawful — only for DHS to again attempt to enforce them.
Overall, the turmoil surrounding what was once a trusted partner is leading some states to prepare for a different relationship with FEMA.
Given all the uncertainty, states are “trying to find ways to be less dependent on federal funding,” Sheets, of the National Emergency Management Association, said.