Dive Brief:
- The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved the 2027 Homeland Security spending bill, which proposes $34.1 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency programs — an increase of more than $2 billion over current funding.
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The bill allocates $28.4 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund supporting response and recovery efforts following major disasters and emergencies, $3.8 billion for grant programs, education, trainings and exercises for local and state firefighters, first responders and emergency managers, and $106 million for the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium to deliver training and technical assistance to emergency first responders.
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“It appears the House is on track to provide modest increases to the full suite of preparedness grants,” International Association of Emergency Managers-USA President Josh Morton told Smart Cities Dive in an email. “In a very difficult fiscal environment, the House Appropriations Committee has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to [Emergency Management Performance Grants] as the foundational federal investment in state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management capabilities.”
Dive Insight:
The Homeland Security Appropriations Bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $64.9 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, with $2.9 billion for defense activities, $6.2 billion in discretionary appropriations offset by fee collections and $28.4 billion as an allocation adjustment for major disaster response and recovery activities.
“Securing the homeland and keeping Americans safe in their communities is a fundamental duty of the federal government,” Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said in a statement. “With major national events such as the 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, [the bill] prioritizes the capabilities necessary to protect the public and respond swiftly to emerging threats. The bill also strengthens disaster preparedness and recovery efforts, ensuring states and local communities are better equipped to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.”
Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., chairman emeritus of the House Appropriations Committee, praised the bill’s provisions to cut “red tape” tied to disaster relief. “This bill requires FEMA to report quarterly on every pending major disaster declaration, directing FEMA to produce a plan to reduce processing times and improve transparency in appeals. It also takes steps to address the underlying technology failures that have allowed this backlog to grow,” he said in a statement.
President Donald Trump’s FY27 budget, released in April, proposes cutting FEMA non-disaster programs by $1.3 billion, reducing state and local preparedness funding.
Morton said at that time that IAEM was “deeply alarmed” by Trump’s proposed reduction to FEMA preparedness grants and urged Congress to fully fund them.
The appropriations bill “is a tacit acknowledgment that disaster-prone communities across the country depend on the federal emergency management infrastructure that the Trump administration has spent more than a year working to dismantle,” advocacy group Sabotaging Our Safety said in a press release.
“When a hurricane hits, when a wildfire burns, when a flood takes everything, people don't call their state legislature. They call FEMA,” SOS Advisory Council member Ashley Shelton said in a statement ahead of the bill’s committee passage. “House Republicans know that, which is why they're proposing over $34 billion for the agency.”
The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
