Overview

• The pause affects Emergency Management Performance Grants for fiscal year 2025 totaling about $319.5 million that support local staffing, training, equipment and public education.
• States received notices this week to submit a September 30 population certification detailing methodology and confirming exclusion of individuals removed under U.S. immigration laws.
• FEMA says allocations are based on population and that recent shifts, including deportations, require updated data to prevent inflated payments.
• The notifications went out hours after a Rhode Island judge temporarily blocked the administration from redirecting similar grants, and FEMA says the new requirement applies nationwide and is unrelated to the ruling.
• Emergency managers warn the hold and added steps, combined with shortened spending windows and a federal shutdown, risk delaying critical preparedness work.