FEMA proposes $1B in grant cuts impacting fire, EMS and disaster preparedness programs

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is proposing nearly $1 billion in cuts to critical grant programs that fire, EMS and emergency management agencies rely on to strengthen disaster preparedness and homeland security.

CNN reported that, according to internal memos and FEMA officials familiar with the plan, the proposed budget would eliminate funding for more than half of FEMA’s current emergency management and homeland security grant programs.

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These include funds used by departments across the country to improve readiness, upgrade equipment, train personnel and bolster security against threats such as terrorism, natural disasters and cyberattacks.

The proposal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to restructure FEMA and shift greater responsibility for disaster preparedness and response to state and local governments. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, has played a key role in exploring ways to reduce the agency’s financial footprint, with grant funding identified as a significant area for cuts.

In a memo signed by acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson, the cuts are framed as a way to “focus on appropriate spending for the Agency’s core mission in emergency management.” However, the memos, also approved by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, acknowledge the risks, warning that cutting one program would “leave state and local governments more vulnerable to catastrophic incidents,” while ending another would “contradict the administration’s commitment to a safer and more secure country.”

The Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), FEMA’s largest grant program targeted for elimination, provides over $500 million to help major cities prepare for catastrophic emergencies. According to the memo, cutting the program would result in “a less secure nation, especially at the border and in some of the nation’s most targeted cities, including Miami, Washington, D.C. and Dallas.”

FEMA also plans to eliminate funding for the Next Generation Warning System, which aims to modernize emergency alerts for severe storms and other crises. Though staff proposed redirecting funds to high-risk flood areas like Texas and New Mexico, acting Administrator David Richardson approved ending the program earlier this month.

Other impacts outlined in internal memos include poor wildfire preparedness, increased risks at 120 U.S. ports, reduced homeland security training for cities hosting World Cup events, and a greater threat of terror attacks on passenger rail.

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