On February 6, President Bush released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. The proposed budget totals $2.77 trillion and recommends eliminating or reducing 141 programs and cutting non-security discretionary funding by $2.2 billion.
The president is requesting $47 million for the USFA; $293 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program; and $0 for the SAFER grant program. Additional details about proposed funding for fire service programs are below.
The release of the president’s budget request is the first step in the annual process for funding the federal government, and the final federal budget may change significantly from what the president proposed.
“The International Association of Fire Chiefs will work with the other fire service organizations and our allies in Congress to ensure that all of the federal programs that assist America’s fire service are adequately funded,” said Chief Bill Killen, the IAFC president.
Here is how the proposed budget will affect programs that are relevant to the fire service:
Homeland Security: President Bush requested $42.7 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is a 6 percent increase from FY 2006. Specifically, the president requested $3.4 billion for the new Preparedness Directorate and $5.3 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
U.S. Fire Administration: The president requested nearly $47 million for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). This line item is significant because it will mark only the second time that the USFA would receive its own funding: Congress appropriated nearly $45 million for it in FY 2006. Having a line item elevates the status of the USFA within DHS as a function that deserves individual attention and consideration. As part of Secretary Chertoff’s second stage review, the USFA was transferred to the Preparedness Directorate of DHS and is no longer part of the FEMA.
FIRE Act and SAFER: The president is requesting $293 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (commonly known as the “FIRE Act”) and $0 for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Act. This is a significant decrease from the $545 million for FIRE and $110 million for SAFER that Congress appropriated for FY 2006.
Also, while the FIRE Act is meant for all-hazards preparedness and for a variety of programs, the president would like to give priority to applications that enhance capabilities for terrorism response. He also seeks to limit the programs for which fire departments may use this money to training, equipment and personal protective gear. The president also proposed these changes for FY 2006, but Congress made sure that the funds could be used for all hazards and for all types of programs, including wellness and fitness, fire prevention, public education, and modifications of facilities for the health and safety of personnel, as the original legislation intended.
The IAFC will join other fire service organizations to restore funding to these programs in the coming year, and ensure that these programs benefit all-hazards preparedness.
State and Local Programs: The president requested $205 million for formula-based grants, including $170 million for the Emergency Management Performance Grants and $35 million for Citizen Corps; $633 million for risk-based grants through the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP); and $838 million for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI). The president’s request would continue the department’s growing focus on allocating grant funding based on risk and need; however, each state would receive a minimum of 0.25 percent of total SHSGP funds.
FEMA: FEMA became a stand-alone response agency within the DHS as part of Secretary Chertoff’s second stage review. The president has not yet released his plans for restructuring FEMA in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; however, his budget outlines several priorities for the agency for FY 2007, including:
- Strengthening operational capabilities, including filling vacant positions and upgrading capital infrastructure and information technology support services;
- Increasing the number of procurement staff;
- Supporting the National Response Plan;
- Increasing funding for the pre-disaster mitigation grant program;
- Upgrading the Emergency Alert System; and
- Increasing personnel for financial and acquisition management
Wildland Fire Programs: The president proposed $7.889 million for the Department of Agriculture’s Volunteer Fire Assistance program to fund technical, financial and related assistance to rural fire departments for organizing, training and equipping firefighters. Congress appropriated $13 million for the program in FY 2006.
The president also proposed eliminating the Department of Interior (DOI)’s Rural Fire Assistance program to help rural and volunteer fire departments that routinely help fight fires on or near DOI land. Last year, the IAFC worked with the other major fire service organizations to get Congress to fund this program at $10 million for FY 2006.
The IAFC intends to work with its allies in Congress to ensure that federal wildland fire programs are adequately funded for FY 2007.
Avian Pandemic Influenza Funding: The president’s budget proposal for FY 2007 aims to fulfill the next phase of his November request of $7.1 billion. Congress appropriated $3.8 billion to prepare for an outbreak of the avian pandemic influenza in December.
Within the FY 2007 proposed budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), $352 million is to fund the following programs:
- 疾病控制中心一个1.88亿美元d Prevention (CDC) improve domestic and foreign public health surveillance;
- $35 million to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct clinical trials of pandemic influenza vaccine;
- $50 million to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the Agency’s ability to review new pandemic influenza vaccines rapidly and safely;
- $79 million to the HHS Office of the Secretary for foreign detection, to establish more quarantine stations and develop faster diagnostic tests
The budget plans for an additional “allowance” of $2.3 billion to fulfill the president’s pandemic influenza plan. This amount would fund continued stockpiling, vaccine manufacturing advancements, and preparedness efforts. The IAFC expects that President Bush will formally request this $2.3 billion from Congress in early spring as part of a future Gulf Coast Recovery/Iraq War Emergency Supplemental bill. The IAFC will work with Congressional members to ensure that appropriate assistance is given to state and local first responder preparation.
