A timeline of federal program changes impacting the fire service
Stay current on NIOSH program layoffs, the status of the National Fire Academy and changes to FEMA
Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has implemented significant federal-level changes aimed at reducing the scale of the government. The changes are designed to centralize oversight, eliminate perceived inefficiencies and non “mission-critical” programs, and exert tighter control over public spending.
Several fire service programs and related agencies have been impacted by the changes, most notably the National Fire Academy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and several National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) programs focused on firefighter health and safety.
What follows is a timeline that tracks the changes to program operations, staffing and funding. FireRescue1 will continue to update this content as the editors receive new and confirmed information.
Email the editor
to flag any inaccuracies or new information.
National Fire Academy closure
The NFA is operated by FEMA at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC). Governed by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Fire Academy is the country’s preeminent federal fire training and education institution.
March 7 – NFA closure:
FEMA announced that all in-person training offered by NFA in Emmitsburg, Maryland, was
canceled until further notice
.
The notice sent to instructors, students and fire departments read:
“FEMA is currently in the process of evaluating agency programs and spending to ensure alignment with Administration priorities. While this review is underway, we will be cancelling all in person training offered by the National Fire Academy. For those courses that can continue virtually, we will do so, and you will receive more information soon. For those that are unable to proceed in a virtual format we will reevaluate rescheduling of courses once the review is complete.”
A follow-up notice to instructors clarified that, “Only virtual offerings that do not have an instructor and no funds are involved will be held.
Please cancel all future travel until further notice.”
When asked why NFA classes were canceled,
FEMA reinforced the issue of travel costs
: “The bottom line is we are no longer paying for non-employee travel. We are only authorizing travel for mission-critical programs, this isn’t one.”
FEMA spends billions each year helping people get temporary housing and rebuild after storms. The agency also funds public assistance for municipalities after disasters, including tornadoes, hurricanes or wildfires.
Jan. 24 – FEMA under review:
President Trump established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180,
Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency
. According to a
press release
from the DHS, the goal of the FEMA Review Council is to “advise the President [and others] on the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest.”
Jan. 27 – Federal funding freeze:
Trump’s Office of Management and Budget released a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants, including
FEMA grants to fire departments
. Administration officials said the pause was necessary to review whether spending aligned with Trump’s executive orders.
Jan. 28 – Judge blocks freeze:
A federal judge
temporarily blocked
a push from President Trump to pause federal funding.
Jan. 29 – Funding memo rescinded:
The OMB rescinded the memo freezing federal funding.
Feb. 28 – Grant reviews enacted:
FEMA announced that, effective immediately, all grant allocations will undergo additional, manual scrutiny by FEMA and DHS before funds are released. FEMA has requested that recipients
answer several questions
when submitting new payment requests.
March 19 – Executive order on state and local preparedness:
As part of his broader push to overhaul FEMA, President Trump signed an
executive order
that shifts the burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government onto states. The EO states:
“Federal policy must rightly recognize that preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the State, local, and even individual levels, supported by a competent, accessible, and efficient Federal Government. Citizens are the immediate beneficiaries of sound local decisions and investments designed to address risks, including cyber attacks, wildfires, hurricanes, and space weather. When States are empowered to make smart infrastructure choices, taxpayers benefit.”
Additionally, the order mandates that federal agencies publish a National Resilience Strategy, which lays out how to advance national capacity to withstand such risks, within 90 days. It also calls for a review of national critical infrastructure policy within 180 days to recommend ways to “achieve a more resilient posture; shift from an all-hazards approach to a risk-informed approach; move beyond information sharing to action.”
April 21 – Grants processing:
Following court orders,
FEMA announced that it would resume processing grant payment requests
and obligations using the same processes and procedures it was using prior to the implementation of the manual review process.
FEMA would no longer require additional reviews
on grant payments and obligations other than for grants that were subject to manual review prior to Feb. 14, 2025, or for grants where FEMA is investigating payment requests for potential non-compliance with federal law, regulations, or the terms and conditions of the grant award.
April 28 – New members:
The president appointed several new members to the
FEMA Review Council
. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will co-chair the council.
Several NIOSH programs focused on firefighter health and safety have been impacted by changes to federal programs in recent months.
March 27 – HHS restructure announcement:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
announced
a “dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.’” Specifically, the HHS announcement indicated that the department’s 28 divisions will be consolidated into 15 new divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). The AHA will include the NIOSH, previously housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, not all NIOSH programs will continue, as evidenced by subsequent layoffs.
April 1 – Layoff announcements:
Hundreds of NIOSH employees, including many who work on firefighter health and safety programs, were notified that they
had been laid off
or would be laid off in June. Managers and others who were placed on administrative leave were told their last day would be in early June. Union members were notified that their last day would be June 30.
🟥 Fire Firefighter Fatality and Investigation and Prevention Program
According to
ProPublica
, the April 1 RIF notifications went to seven of the eight members of the FFFIPP, the team that studies firefighter line-of-duty deaths.
“The whole intent of this program was that people would learn through tragedy — what happened to one person — so we can prevent it from happening to others,” one of the laid-off investigator told the publication, adding, “It breaks my heart that we’re going to just destroy these programs that have made so much progress in protecting the health and safety of our firefighting community.”
FFFIPP reports
are not only shared with the firefighter’s family but also the broader firefighting community in order to learn from tragedy.
The team was investigating deaths at approximately 20 fire departments when the RIF notices arrived. It is unclear if those investigations will be completed.
FFFIPP employees have shared recent reports with external publications, like
FirefighterCloseCalls.com
, to ensure they can still reach the masses if the FFFIPP site is shut down. (Additional NIOSH Science Blog content has been shared with
FireRescue1
for the same reason, ensuring the educational material can reach firefighters if the blog goes dark.)
🟥 National Firefighter Registry
The April 1 NIOSH layoffs also hit the National Firefighter Registry, a massive effort to study firefighter cancer. President Trump signed it into law during his first term. Since that time, more than 23,000 firefighters have signed up to participate.
According to
ProPublica
, “While HHS said in a statement that programs required by law would remain intact, it did not answer a question about whether it would bring back staff to keep the registry running.”
🟥 National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
The HHS restructuring plan also includes significant cuts to the NPPTL, which certifies respirators ranging from N95 masks to
full-face coverings worn by firefighters
.
🟥 World Trade Center Health Program
Tens of thousands of responders and survivors rely on the World Trade Center Health Program to get treatment and medication and monitor injuries and illnesses caused by the toxins around Ground Zero during and after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Feb. 20 – Politicians seek to save program:
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) revealed that approximately 20% of the WTC Health Program staff were let go due to employee reductions at the CDC. Schumer and Gillibrand sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reverse course on the cuts. Additionally, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn),
said this about the cuts
:
“As part of President Trump’s efforts to make our federal government more efficient, some new hires and probationary employees across our federal agencies have been terminated, which include several at WTCHP and others who took the Administration’s buyout on their own accord. … my New York colleagues and I are sending a letter to President Trump to ensure research grants related to 9/11 illnesses are preserved.”
Feb. 21 – Cuts
halted:
WTC Health Program cuts were
reversed
following backlash from New York’s elected officials. Malliotakis said in a statement: “As a native New Yorker, President Trump understands the importance of supporting first responders, 9/11 survivors and Ground Zero rescue workers. That’s why we anticipated and appreciated the White House’s decision to stop CDC cuts that would have reduced staffing at the World Trade Center Health Program and grants for 9/11 research, following our letter to the president earlier this week.”
April 1 – NIOSH cuts hit program:
The broader NIOSH layoffs included Dr. John Howard, the head of NIOSH and the administrator of the WTC Health Program. According to the
New York Daily News
:
“No other WTC Health Program employees have been fired, but the program relies on doctors, epidemiologists and administrative staffers who work for the broader agency, so the NIOSH firings pose a threat, survivor advocates claim. Key tasks such as evaluating new applications to the program are done by NIOSH doctors.”
Advocates argued that Howard certifies health conditions for 9/11 first responders and survivors, meaning his departure brings the program to a virtual halt.
Benjamin Chevat, executive director of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act, said in a
statement
: “These cuts to NIOSH will be devastating to the World Trade Center Health Program and must be stopped. The first step must be restoring Dr. Howard as NIOSH Director immediately.”
April 4 – Dr. Howard reinstatement:
Secretary Kennedy indicated that he would reinstate Dr. John Howard; however, 16 members of the program for 9/11 first responders and survivors still faced termination,
legislators and advocates said
.
April 29 – NIOSH programs temporarily restored:
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced that some NIOSH programs focused on firefighter health and safety will be restored following a
“misinterpreted executive order”
that resulted in dozens of layoffs to the FFFIPP, National Firefighter Registry and the WTC Health Program. IAFF President Ed Kelly shared the following message with IAFF members:
“This past Saturday, I spoke with both the White House and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discuss these programs. Yesterday, I was notified that HHS had begun restoring these programs, and staff would be returning to their roles as early as today. It was explained to me that the Reduction in Force (RIF) ordered by a White House Executive Order was misinterpreted by ‘mid-level bureaucrats,’ and our programs – which Secretary Kennedy assured me were ‘critical’ – would continue. Secretary Kennedy and I also discussed meaningful ways to improve the programs to better serve our members. Thanks to our advocacy, these programs will continue. I am confident that the IAFF’s voice will continue to be heard as we work together to improve these programs and make our dangerous jobs as safe as possible.”
Kennedy Jr. praised firefighters on X, adding that “critical services of NIOSH will remain intact.”
Firefighters are among the most courageous and selfless people in our society. They stand as a living testament to the principle that public service is the highest calling. Firefighter health and safety programs remain a top priority for
@HHSgov
. As the agency continues to…
Cathy Tinney-Zara, a NIOSH public health analyst and president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3430, underscored the
temporary
nature of the NIOSH staff callbacks:
“We are encouraged by the decision to temporarily call back several NIOSH employees. … However, it is important to note that these employees remain on the Reduction in Force (RIF) list and are still scheduled for termination on June 2nd.”
May 2 – WTC Health Program uncertainty:
The
New York Daily News reported
that Dr. Howard remains in “bureaucratic limbo” and has not been formally reinstated to his post as promised by Secretary Kennedy. Furthermore, many WTC health program staffers have been told their jobs have been eliminated and some have not been restored, despite claims they would all be rehired.
May 5 – Lawsuits begin:
Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C.,
filed a lawsuit
against HHS, Secretary Kennedy and other federal health officials, alleging that the agency’s restructuring endangers the American public. The goal is to prevent what the lawsuit calls the “unconstitutional and illegal dismantling” of the HHS.
Per CNN
, an HHS spokesperson said in a statement: “The reforms are designed to strengthen the agency’s capacity to serve the American public, not weaken it. HHS remains confident that the process will withstand legal scrutiny and looks forward to a resolution that reflects the facts and the law.”
Ongoing – Action underway:
Fire service leaders have called upon firefighters and advocates to continue to express their support for these programs to members of Congress.
CFSI’s Legislative Action Center
shares information on outreach to Congress.
May 2 – FY2026 budget proposal:
The Trump administration released its proposed 2026 budget, which includes a proposal to restructure federal wildland firefighting responsibilities and make significant cuts to several health agencies. Under the fiscal year 2026 plan, the administration is seeking to consolidate wildland fire management functions — currently divided between five agencies across the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) — into a
new Federal Wildland Fire Service
housed within DOI.
