By Oliver Porter, NLIHC DHR Intern and Noah Patton, NLIHC Director of Disaster Recovery
With the government shutdown beginning on October 1, it is important to understand how the absence of government funding will affect disaster response capabilities and related agencies like FEMA. Shutdowns are caused when Congress fails to approve the annual appropriations bills (of which there are 12) that provide the government with the funds it needs to function. Government shutdowns affect every federal agency differently.
Under the “Antideficiency Act,” federal agencies cannot spend or obligate any money without an appropriation (or other approval) from Congress. When Congress fails to enact the appropriation bills, federal agencies must cease all non-essential functions until Congress acts, triggering a government shutdown. “Essential” government employees, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement personnel, must continue to work, while those deemed nonessential (e.g. park rangers) stay home and are furloughed. By law, government employees are paid retroactively when the shutdown ends, but in the meantime, they are not paid.
Much of FEMA’s work falls under the essential category. According to a September 19 DHS memo, out of FEMA’s 24,925-person workforce, 20,975 employees will keep working, while about 3,950 employees will be furloughed. Similarly, the Disaster Relief Fund which funds FEMA’s disaster operations will remain operational and currently contains several billion dollars.
The situation is made more complicated by the fact that the Trump administration has threatened to fire government workers who are deemed nonessential. Given earlier DOGE staffing cuts, this threat, if seen through, could further deplete the workforces of FEMA, HUD, and other agencies, which would exacerbate staffing issues and could delay disaster response and recovery efforts. Furthermore, the Trump administration reportedly wants to weaken FEMA and promote state-level disaster response instead. A shutdown could be used to attempt this.
Considering this political environment, it is critical for members of the NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) to remain watchful, ready to mobilize and challenge any effort to weaken disaster management capabilities.