The impact of federal sequestration will also be felt in 2013 FEMA grant programs, says Kurt Bradley, Senior Grant Consultant at First Responder Grants. However, there is some confusion about the true impact of the budget cuts.
“Everyone is a bit confused by the recent letter from David J. Kaufman, Acting Assistant Administrator of FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate, regarding loss of funding,” says Bradley. “The letter states that $104 million will be lost ‘across all FEMA programs’ in 2013, not just grants like the Fire Act, AFG, SAFER and other programs. This act will not affect 2012 Assistance to Firefighter grants that are pending or have already been awarded.”
The original text of the FEMA AD’s letter is below:
In August 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-25) to limit federal spending and reduce our national debt. To enforce annual spending limits, that law requires across-theboard funding reductions to almost every federal program, project, and activity through a process called “sequestration.”
As a consequence, all federal agencies, including FEMA, will have to implement steep funding cuts, beginning in the current fiscal year. Leadership throughout FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security have been working hard to determine how we might best mitigate the impact of possible sequestration budget reductions on our state, local, tribal, territorial, non-profit and private sector partners.
Nonetheless, the sequestration order issued on March 1, 2013 will result in FEMA’s current Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 funding levels being reduced by approximately 5%. This will result in a reduction to FEMA’s State and Local grant funding levels of approximately $104 million.
The sequestration reductions will affect FY 2013 funding levels for all GPD grants, subject to FEMA’s final FY 2013 appropriation. Sequestration will not affect grants or cooperative agreements awarded in previous fiscal years.
We recognize the hardships that sequestration is likely to cause and thank you for your cooperation as we work together to manage these unfortunate circumstances. We value the important work that you do and appreciate your dedication to the security and resilience of the Nation. As always, your thoughts, questions and concerns are welcome.
David J. Kaufman
Acting Assistant Administrator
Grant Programs Directorate