House panel presses FEMA on $646 million in proposed grant cuts, BRIC cancellations
Loading...
Summary
Members of the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee questioned acting FEMA leadership about a proposed $646 million cut to non‑disaster grant programs, the early‑April suspension of BRIC awards, and plans to consolidate or redesign mitigation and preparedness grants.
The House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee examined FEMA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal and asked Acting Administrator Hamilton about a proposed $646,000,000 cut to non‑disaster grant programs and the agency’s April decision on Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) awards.
Representative Underwood, Ranking Member of the subcommittee, said the proposal “proposes a $646,000,000 cut from fiscal year 2025 levels to FEMA’s initiatives that support state and local governments,” and warned that cuts could affect “firefighters, first responders, and hospitals in rural communities like mine.”
The hearing focused on how FEMA’s grant redesign would affect mitigation, preparedness and domestic preparedness efforts. Representative Case noted line‑item reductions called out in the skinny budget, citing the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and an $18,000,000 violence and terrorism prevention line, and asked which other programs contributed to the roughly 20 percent reduction in the non‑disaster category. Acting Administrator Hamilton said the agency is “looking to overhaul the grant process entirely” and described proposals that would consolidate programs, simplify administration and consider block‑grant‑style options.
Several members pressed for specifics about BRIC recipients. Representative Escobar said communities that had applied and been allocated BRIC funding were being left “devastated,” and called the cancellation “illegal because this is funding that Congress appropriated.” Hamilton said FEMA is “unpacking” BRIC recipients into buckets: projects that will continue, projects under review, and projects where there were “high unliquidated balances” or stagnation. He told members that “every grant recipient under BRIC should receive some form of notification” from regional offices and that some fully funded, ongoing projects will continue to completion.
Members asked for more detail from FEMA and for direct engagement with congressional offices. The chair asked members to submit BRIC project examples and set short deadlines for information exchange so the committee can review administration decisions as it prepares FY2026 appropriations.
The subcommittee did not take any formal votes during the hearing; members requested follow‑up materials and timelines for FEMA responses.
