{"id":2030,"date":"2026-01-08T11:21:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/?p=2030"},"modified":"2026-01-11T11:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T16:04:36","slug":"homeland-security-funding-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/08\/homeland-security-funding-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeland Security Funding Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Press Release:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Emer\u00adgency Law\u00adsuit to Pro\u00adtect Crit\u00adi\u00adcal Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty Fund\u00ading from Polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly Moti\u00advat\u00aded Cuts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preceding Event:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On Jan. 20, 2025, Pres\u00adi\u00addent Don\u00adald Trump signed Exec\u00adu\u00adtive Order 14159<\/a>, declar\u00ading that cer\u00adtain states and\/or juris\u00addic\u00adtions were in \u201claw\u00adless insur\u00adrec\u00adtion\u201d and direct\u00aded the Depart\u00adment of Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty (DHS) to deny fed\u00ader\u00adal fund\u00ading to so called \u201csanc\u00adtu\u00adary juris\u00addic\u00adtions.\u201c
The U.S. Dis\u00adtrict Court for the Dis\u00adtrict of Rhode Island ruled in a pre\u00advi\u00adous suit to per\u00adma\u00adnent\u00adly enjoin DHS and FEMA from enforc\u00ading the con\u00addi\u00adtions they have set forth on the grants they admin\u00adis\u00adter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accord\u00ading to the law\u00adsuit, \u201con Sat\u00adur\u00adday, Sept. 27, the Fed\u00ader\u00adal Emer\u00adgency Man\u00adage\u00adment Agency issued the award noti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions for FEMA\u2019s sin\u00adgle largest grant program\u2014the Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty Grant Pro\u00adgram (\u2018HSGP\u2019), which totals approx\u00adi\u00admate\u00adly $1 bil\u00adlion in funds annu\u00adal\u00adly for state and munic\u00adi\u00adpal efforts to \u2018pre\u00advent, pre\u00adpare for, pro\u00adtect against, and respond to acts of ter\u00adror\u00adism\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\u00adev\u00ader, Plain\u00adtiff states\u2019 awards were were cut near\u00adly 50%, with some states see\u00ading cuts as high as 69% (Illi\u00adnois) and 79% (New York), which totaled over $100 mil\u00adlion in cut fund\u00ading. While these states had fund\u00ading cut, some states had their fund\u00ading increased, with some receiv\u00ading a 100% fund\u00ading increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This $233 mil\u00adlion dol\u00adlar real\u00adlo\u00adca\u00adtion was done with\u00adout any expla\u00adna\u00adtion or jus\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion aside from being direc\u00adtives from HHS. The suit argues that plain\u00adtiff states are being pun\u00adished because the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion sees them as being \u201csanc\u00adtu\u00adary juris\u00addic\u00adtions\u201d and the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion wants to reward oth\u00ader states that they see as com\u00adply\u00ading with their polit\u00adi\u00adcal aims in regards to immi\u00adgra\u00adtion enforce\u00adment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Overview:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Accord\u00ading to the release dat\u00aded Sept. 30, 2025, \u201cAttor\u00adney Gen\u00ader\u00adal William Tong, as part of a coali\u00adtion of 12 attor\u00adneys gen\u00ader\u00adal, filed a law\u00adsuit to stop the Trump admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion from unlaw\u00adful\u00adly real\u00adlo\u00adcat\u00ading and con\u00adstrain\u00ading fed\u00ader\u00adal home\u00adland secu\u00adri\u00adty fund\u00ading from states based on their com\u00adpli\u00adance with the administration\u2019s polit\u00adi\u00adcal agen\u00adda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accord\u00ading to the law\u00adsuit, the real\u00adlo\u00adca\u00adtion is unlaw\u00adful because it vio\u00adlates fed\u00ader\u00adal law, the Con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion and pro\u00advid\u00aded no expla\u00adna\u00adtion for the changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecticut Nexus:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Accord\u00ading to the press release, \u201cSmall\u00ader states like Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut receive a statu\u00adto\u00adri\u00adly set min\u00adi\u00admum in FEMA fund\u00ading. Connecticut\u2019s fund\u00ading remained flat at just over $8.7 mil\u00adlion through the HSGP and the Emer\u00adgency Man\u00adage\u00adment Per\u00adfor\u00admance grants in ques\u00adtion. How\u00adev\u00ader, FEMA imposed a series of new arbi\u00adtrary con\u00adstraints on how and when states must spend their dol\u00adlars. This includes a need\u00adless addi\u00adtion\u00adal require\u00adment that funds be spent dur\u00ading a sin\u00adgle fis\u00adcal year, as opposed to the pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly set three years, effec\u00adtive\u00adly defund\u00ading larg\u00ader mul\u00adti\u00adyear projects and those that require longer state and fed\u00ader\u00adal review process\u00ades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date of filing:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sept. 29, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case #:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1:25-cv-00495<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case title:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

State of Illi\u00adnois et al v. Noem et al<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plaintiffs:<\/strong> 11 states and D.C.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n