FEMA’s Preparedness Grants Come with New Strings — and Delays

While overall allocations are up, this federal directive limits the flexibility counties need to build resilience. It replaces community-based risk planning with a top-down checklist.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced nearly $1 billion in grant funding to help states, counties, and other eligible jurisdictions prepare for and respond to disasters.

But this year’s allocation comes with strict new conditions that raise significant concerns for states and local governments.

On top of the new requirements, the grant rollout itself arrived late. Federal law required these grants to be made available for application by May 16, 2025. Still, FEMA did not release them until August 1, delaying access to critical preparedness funding for more than two months.

The revised National Priority Areas, set by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, require jurisdictions to spend at least 30% of preparedness grants on federally dictated priorities, including protecting soft targets and crowded places (including election sites), supporting Homeland Security Task Forces and fusion centers, bolstering cybersecurity, enhancing election security, and supporting border crisis response and enforcement.

Mandatory Allocations Undercut Local Risk Priorities

These mandates apply across the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), including the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), a vital resource for Baltimore City and surrounding counties.

Under the new rules, jurisdictions must dedicate:

  • 10% of grant funds to border crisis response and enforcement
  • 3% to election security, including citizenship verification for poll workers

These federal requirements divert funding from threats identified by state and local emergency managers, such as severe storms, cyberattacks, active shooter scenarios, or public health crises, and redirect it toward federal priorities that have limited relevance in Maryland.

Maryland’s county emergency managers focus on risks like coastal storms, cyber threats, and public safety incidents, not immigration enforcement.

They do not operate detention centers or manage border security. Yet the new federal requirement forces them to allocate 10% of grant funds toward that purpose, raising concerns about how to comply without shifting resources away from more relevant local needs.

Legal and Operational Risks for Maryland

The State and county governments are still reviewing how to comply. Legal teams are examining whether Maryland can accept grant funds under these conditions without taking on new liabilities.

At the same time, emergency managers are looking for ways to meet the mandates without undermining community priorities and public trust.

The 3% requirement for election security also raises concerns. Local boards of elections already have rigorous election safeguards in place.

New spending mandates tied to poll worker citizenship verification could create confusion, duplicate existing protections, or inject politics into a function that local officials work to protect and keep free from political interference.

No Local Input, No Flexibility

Federal officials did not consult local emergency managers before imposing these changes. The new mandates apply across the board, regardless of a community’s risk profile or readiness needs. There is no waiver process or opportunity to redirect funding to locally defined priorities.

Counties Will Keep Pushing for Practical Solutions

MACo will continue working with the State and the National Association of Counties (NACo) to navigate this shifting federal landscape and preserve access to critical FEMA resources without diverting attention from real community risks or undermining public trust in local emergency management.

FEMA Fallout: Facing Federal Funding Flux

At this year’s MACo Summer Conference, join local emergency leaders for the session, “Fallout: Facing Federal Funding Flux.”

The panel will examine FEMA’s recent communication clampdown, stalled grant programs, and broader shifts in federal disaster policy. Attendees will hear directly from county experts about the operational and fiscal impacts and explore practical steps to safeguard local readiness, tap into alternative resources, and advocate for stronger federal partnerships.

MACo’s Summer Conference, “Resilient. Responsive. Ready.,” is August 13–16, 2025, at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland. This year’s theme is “Funding the Future: The Evolving Role of Local Government.” For more information, please visit the conference website.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: