States say new FEMA rules, grant delays put disaster response at risk

State officials, on the front lines of preparing for natural disasters and responding to emergencies, say severe cuts in federal safety grants, restrictions on preparedness funds and litigation-related funding delays pose a growing risk to their ability to respond to crises.

All of this causes confusion, frustration and concern. The federal government shutdown doesn’t help.

“Every day we remain in this grant purgatory reduces the time available to responsibly and efficiently spend these critical funds,” said Kiele Amundson, communications director at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

The uncertainty has led some emergency management agencies to fail to fill vacant positions and make hasty decisions regarding training and major purchases.

Experts say these developments complicate state-led emergency efforts, undermining the Republican administration’s stated goals of shifting more responsibilities to state and local governments for disaster response.

In an emailed statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the new requirements were necessary because of “recent population changes” and that the security grant changes were made “to address new and urgent threats facing our nation.”

Several grants from DHS and FEMA help states, tribes, and territories prepare for climate disasters and deter various threats. The money goes to pay for salaries and training, as well as things like vehicles, communications equipment and software.

State emergency officials say the money has become increasingly important as the range of threats they must prepare for widens, including pandemics and cyberattacks.

FEMA, part of DHS, distributed a $320 million emergency management grant among states on September 29. But the next day, she told states the money was on hold until they submitted new population counts. The directive required them to omit people “removed from the state under the immigration laws of the United States” and to explain their methodology.

The amount of money distributed to states is based on U.S. Population Census data. The new requirement for states to submit revised counts “is something we’ve never seen before,” said Trina Sheets, executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, a group representing emergency managers. “It’s certainly not the responsibility of emergency management to certify the population.”

Without any 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 “non-citizens” based on an advocacy group’s estimates.

They are not sure that the methodology will be accepted. But with their FEMA contacts furloughed and the grant portal closed during the federal shutdown, they can’t find out. Other states said they were evaluating the request or awaiting additional guidance.

In its statement, DHS said FEMA must be certain of its funding levels before awarding grants, and that includes updates on a state’s population due to evictions.

Experts said delays caused by the request could most impact local governments and agencies that receive state-passed grants because their budgets and staffing levels are smaller. At the same time, FEMA also reduced the time recipients have to spend the money, from three to one year. This could prevent agencies from undertaking longer-term projects.

Bryan Koon, 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 type of change.

“A disruption to these services could put American lives at risk,” he said.

In another move that has sown uncertainty, FEMA in September significantly reduced some states’ allocations from another funding source. The billion-dollar Homeland Security grant program is supposed to be based on a risk assessment, and states give most of the money to police and firefighters.

New York received $100 million less than expected, a 79% reduction, while Illinois saw a 69% reduction. Both states are politically controlled by Democrats. At the same time, some territories received unexpected windfalls, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, which received more than double the planned allocation.

The National Emergency Management Association said grants are supposed to be distributed based on risk and that it “remains unclear what risk methodology was used” to determine the new funding allocation.

After a group of Democratic states challenged the cuts in court, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order on September 30. This forced FEMA to cancel award notifications and refrain from making payments until further court order.

The freeze “underscores the uncertainty and political volatility surrounding these awards,” said Frank Pace, administrator of Hawaii’s Office of Homeland Security. The Democratic-controlled state received more money than expected, but expects the bonus to be taken away with the lawsuit.

In Hawaii, where a 2023 wildfire devastated the town of Lahaina on Maui and killed more than 100 people, the state, counties and nonprofits “face the real possibility” of delays in paying contractors, completing projects and “even layoffs or furloughs” if the grant freeze and government shutdown continue, he said. declared.

The myriad setbacks prompted the Washington State Division of Emergency Management to pause recruiting for some positions “out of an abundance of caution,” communications director Karina Shagren said.

Emergency management experts said these measures have created uncertainty for preparedness officials.

The Trump administration suspended a $3.6 billion FEMA disaster resilience program, reduced FEMA staffing levels and disrupted routine training.

Other lawsuits also complicate decision-making. A federal judge in Manhattan last week ordered DHS and FEMA to restore $34 million in transit security aid they had denied to New York City because of its immigration policies.

Another Rhode Island judge has ordered DHS to permanently stop imposing immigration enforcement conditions on grants after ruling in September that the conditions were illegal — only to have DHS try to impose them again.

Overall, the turmoil surrounding what was once a reliable partner has some states preparing for a different relationship with FEMA.

“Given all the uncertainties,” said Sheets, of the National Emergency Management Association, states are trying to find ways to “rely less on federal funding.”