FEMA plans to release nearly $1 billion in security funding after CNN report on proposal to slash it

CNN

7 days ago

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making nearly $1 billion in disaster preparedness and homeland security funding available to communities nationwide, just one week after CNN reported on the agency's proposed plan to slash the programs at the direction of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA.
In a notice sent to states Friday, which CNN obtained from one of the states, FEMA announced it is now taking applications for more than a dozen grant programs 'making nearly $1 billion available to communities across the country.'
Just days ago, those grants were on the verge of being cut, according to internal memos signed by acting FEMA administrator David Richardson and approved by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, CNN reported last week.
'This announcement comes after a critical evaluation of all grant programs and recipients to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and deliver accountability for the American taxpayer,' the notice states. 'Unlike the previous administration, recipients of grants will no longer be permitted to use federal funds to house illegal immigrants at luxury hotels, fund climate change pet projects, or empower radical organizations with unseemly ties that don't serve the interest of the American people.'
In a statement to CNN, DHS confirmed the plans to release the funding but called the notion that it reversed course 'a load of hogwash.'
The funds are being released following a thorough review of grant programs, it said, and 'will enable states to manage their preparation for disasters like fires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, as well as incidents like terrorist attacks or massive cyber disruptions.'
It remains unclear why FEMA decided to release the funds this week after issuing internal memos last week stating that it was seeking to eliminate the programs — a move that would have required approval from the White House budget office and Congress.
However, those memos acknowledged in stark terms the potential risks of cutting the programs.
The loss of one program that helps communities plan and train for disasters would 'leave state and local governments more vulnerable to catastrophic incidents,' one memo stated. Ending another that bolsters transportation infrastructure and terrorism protections would 'contradict the administration's commitment to a safer and more secure country,' the memo said.
The reversal effectively preserves the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) – the largest of the programs previously at risk – which provides more than $500 million to help major cities prepare for catastrophic emergencies. FEMA's own memo warned that axing the program would create 'a less secure nation, especially at the border and in some of the nation's most targeted cities, including Miami, Washington DC, and Dallas,' CNN reported last week.
According to Friday's notice, releasing the funds aligns with Noem's revised priorities, which include protecting locations that have a lower level of security, known as soft targets, and crowded places; supporting Homeland Security Task Forces; enhancing cybersecurity; securing elections, including verifying that poll workers are US citizens; and bolstering border response and enforcement.
'FEMA is committed to using these federal funds to empower states to take charge of their own disaster preparedness, response, and recovery,' FEMA said in its notice to states. 'This will strengthen the security and resilience of the entire nation.'
The grants listed in Friday's notice include the vast majority of funding that had been marked for potential elimination last week. States can now apply for the grants. FEMA has until the end of September, which is the end of the fiscal year, to allocate the funds.
The disaster relief agency is in the midst of an overhaul at the hands of the Trump administration, which is seeking to drastically shrink FEMA's footprint and shift more responsibility for disaster preparedness, response and recovery onto states.
At the direction of DHS, FEMA had largely halted its process of selecting new grant recipients in recent months so it could review the programs.
Last week, in response to CNN's reporting, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the department was looking to cut 'unaccountable programs,' and did not dispute that the grant programs were on the chopping block.
'Secretary Noem and this Administration are focused on ending waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government - and FEMA is no exception,' the spokesperson said at the time. 'For years, taxpayer dollars have flowed to bloated grants, political pet projects, and groups with questionable ties. That ends now.'
In a Friday message, the spokesperson said, 'CNN is relying on a supposed leaked internal memo, claiming certain programs were under review, to assert a reversal in course by FEMA.'