AG Kaul and Multistate Coalition Bring Lawsuit Challenging Unlawful Restrictions on FEMA Grants

MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul, and a coalition of 11 other states, today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) challenging unlawful new conditions on FEMA grants, which support emergency management and disaster-response work nationwide.

“These grants go towards efforts and equipment that help protect Wisconsinites’ safety,” said AG Kaul. “The federal government shouldn’t be imposing new, unlawful conditions that hinder the use of these funds.”

The coalition argues that the Trump administration added illegal and impractical terms to the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) and the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). Those terms, the coalition argues, are inconsistent with federal law and FEMA’s grant procedures, including its multi-year performance periods.

The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs and Wisconsin Emergency Management receive, use, and disperse EMPG and HSGP funds for a variety of preparedness activities and response and recovery operations around the state. EMPG funding helps Wisconsin localities and Tribes develop and maintain all-hazards emergency plans, support emergency management training programs, conduct disaster response exercises, fund emergency management personnel, provide equipment and technology resources, and perform community outreach to educate residents on disaster preparedness and response. Local subrecipients have used HSGP funding for purchasing equipment and training for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, bomb squads, dive teams, and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR). HSGP also funds components of Wisconsin’s two intelligence fusion centers, which are part of a national network established to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity.

FEMA has also placed a funding hold on one grant and shortened the performance period for using both grants from three years to one year, making it difficult to use these funds as intended. The coalition argues that those changes exceed FEMA’s authority, violate federal procedures, and were issued without adequate explanation. As a result, the new terms limit states’ ability to use already-awarded funding for approved and ongoing emergency management projects.

Joining AG Kaul in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oregon, and the Governor of Kentucky.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.