The Federal Emergency Management Agency has paused the release of more than $300 million in emergency preparedness grants, asking states to recalculate their populations excluding deported migrants. The move, which impacts Emergency Management Performance Grants used for disaster preparation and emergency services, is an unprecedented change—previously, FEMA relied on US Census data for these calculations, per CNN.
Reuters notes that the program had been allotted $319.5 million for the 2025 fiscal year. States were notified they must now certify their populations as of Sept. 30, providing detailed methodology to ensure deported individuals aren't included. Grant funds will be released once FEMA reviews and approves these population reports. The agency argues that recent shifts, such as increased deportations, make updated counts necessary to distribute funds fairly.
This new hurdle comes amid a series of funding pauses and rule changes that have already complicated state access to federal preparedness money. Multiple current and former FEMA officials tell CNN that the new rule adds further bureaucracy and uncertainty. States have also received shortened spending windows for grants and added application requirements. The timing of FEMA's directive is notable, coming hours after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from redirecting preparedness funds away from Democratic-led states.
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FEMA insists the new population requirement applies to all states and is unrelated to ongoing court battles. Last month, a report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, or GAO, found that the Trump administration breached the law by withholding three types of grants managed by FEMA, a violation of the Impoundment Control Act, per the Hill.
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