The Federal Government is Still “Shut Down”
This week, the U.S. Senate considered both the House-passed continuing resolution (H.R. 5371) and a Democratic alternative. Neither bill received the 60 votes required for passage. The Senate Majority Leader, Senator John Thune (R-SD), also was unable to get 60 votes for the Senate to consider the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 4016). So, the Senate remains deadlocked, and the House of Representatives was not in session this week.<\p>
FY 2024 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S), and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Awards
Before the federal government shut down, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) notified fire departments of the FY 202 AFG, SAFER, and FP&S awards. However, it may be hard for a fire department to accept the award at this time, because the FEMA GO website Lapse in Federal Funding Impact on DHS Website Operations Notice is not operational due to the federal government shutdown. The AFG hotline also does not seem to be operational.
The IAFC understands that FEMA is monitoring the issue and may provide instructions about what to do if the federal government is not open by the end of the month. FEMA also has a list of AFG regional contacts that fire departments can try to contact. The IAFC recommends that fire departments also contact their Senators and Representatives to ask for their assistance in accepting AFG, SAFER, or FP&S grants. One of the roles of Members of Congress is to help their constituents access federal funds.
Please Contact Your Members of Congress Abut Important Fire and EMS Issues
Your Representatives are home in your district and Senators have been allowed to spend long weekends back home. In addition, most of the House and Senate staff are still working in their offices. So, now is a good time to check in with your Members of Congress about important fire service issues. The IAFC Hot Sheet is up to date and can be downloaded for use in meetings with Members of Congress and their staff. If you just have a few minutes, you can use the IAFC Legislative Action Center to contact your Senators and Representative and ask them to cosponsor important fire and EMS bills.