Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has implemented significant federal-level changes aimed at reducing the scale of the government. The changes are designed to centralize oversight, eliminate perceived inefficiencies and non “mission-critical” programs, and exert tighter control over public spending.
Several fire service programs and related agencies have been impacted by the changes, most notably the National Fire Academy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and several National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) programs focused on firefighter health and safety.
What follows is a timeline that tracks the changes to program operations, staffing and funding. FireRescue1 will continue to update this content as the editors receive new and confirmed information. Email the editor to flag any inaccuracies or new information. Use these links to navigate between sections.
National Fire Academy closure
The NFA is operated by FEMA at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC). Governed by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Fire Academy is the country’s preeminent federal fire training and education institution.
March 7 – NFA closure: FEMA announced that all in-person training offered by NFA in Emmitsburg, Maryland, was canceled until further notice. The notice sent to instructors, students and fire departments read:
A follow-up notice to instructors clarified that, “Only virtual offerings that do not have an instructor and no funds are involved will be held. Please cancel all future travel until further notice.”
When asked why NFA classes were canceled, FEMA reinforced the issue of travel costs: “The bottom line is we are no longer paying for non-employee travel. We are only authorizing travel for mission-critical programs, this isn’t one.”
News of the NFA training cancellations prompted significant debate about the Administration’s approach to federal funding review. Dozens of fire service leaders voiced their objection to the closure, and prominent fire service organizations called for action to restore classes.
May 9 – While appearing in front of a Senate appropriations subcommittee, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem told committee members that her office was working on restoring funding to the National Fire Academy. In response to questions from Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Noem said “those grants and programs are being facilitated, and those dollars will be forwarded.”
The NFA campus is also home to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
FEMA
FEMA spends billions each year helping people get temporary housing and rebuild after storms. The agency also funds public assistance for municipalities after disasters, including tornadoes, hurricanes or wildfires.
Jan. 24 – FEMA under review: President Trump established the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency through Executive Order 14180, Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency. According to a press release from the DHS, the goal of the FEMA Review Council is to “advise the President [and others] on the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest.”
Jan. 27 – Federal funding freeze: Trump’s Office of Management and Budget released a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants, including FEMA grants to fire departments. Administration officials said the pause was necessary to review whether spending aligned with Trump’s executive orders.
Jan. 28 – Judge blocks freeze: A federal judge temporarily blocked a push from President Trump to pause federal funding.
Jan. 29 – Funding memo rescinded: The OMB rescinded the memo freezing federal funding.
Feb. 28 – Grant reviews enacted: FEMA announced that, effective immediately, all grant allocations will undergo additional, manual scrutiny by FEMA and DHS before funds are released. FEMA has requested that recipients answer several questions when submitting new payment requests.
March 19 – Executive order on state and local preparedness: As part of his broader push to overhaul FEMA, President Trump signed an executive order that shifts the burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government onto states. The EO states:
Additionally, the order mandates that federal agencies publish a National Resilience Strategy, which lays out how to advance national capacity to withstand such risks, within 90 days. It also calls for a review of national critical infrastructure policy within 180 days to recommend ways to “achieve a more resilient posture; shift from an all-hazards approach to a risk-informed approach; move beyond information sharing to action.”
April 21 – Grants processing: Following court orders, FEMA announced that it would resume processing grant payment requests and obligations using the same processes and procedures it was using prior to the implementation of the manual review process. FEMA would no longer require additional reviews on grant payments and obligations other than for grants that were subject to manual review prior to Feb. 14, 2025, or for grants where FEMA is investigating payment requests for potential non-compliance with federal law, regulations, or the terms and conditions of the grant award.
April 28 – New members: The president appointed several new members to the FEMA Review Council. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will co-chair the council.
May 8 – Administrator fired: FEMA’s acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was fired one day after telling lawmakers that he does not support dismantling the agency.
May 12 - FEMA’s new chief: “I will run right over you,” David Richardson told FEMA staff as he took the helm of the nation’s disaster management agency and announced a “Mission Analysis” review of FEMA as the beginning of upcoming policy changes.
Ongoing – Disaster declarations: President Trump continues to grant emergency declarations for areas hit by natural disasters, although some have been rejected. Track the approvals on the FEMA press page.
NIOSH programs
Several NIOSH programs focused on firefighter health and safety have been impacted by changes to federal programs in recent months.
March 27 – HHS restructure announcement: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a “dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.’” Specifically, the HHS announcement indicated that the department’s 28 divisions will be consolidated into 15 new divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). The AHA will include the NIOSH, previously housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, not all NIOSH programs will continue, as evidenced by subsequent layoffs.
April 1 – Layoff announcements: Hundreds of NIOSH employees, including many who work on firefighter health and safety programs, were notified that they had been laid off or would be laid off in June. Managers and others who were placed on administrative leave were told their last day would be in early June. Union members were notified that their last day would be June 30.
The overhaul of health agencies included cuts of 10,000 workers across the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. NIOSH in particular, with its 1,300-person staff, saw cuts to two-thirds of its workforce – approximately 870 employees. These cut his several programs that directly serve firefighters: the Fire Firefighter Fatality and Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP), the National Firefighter Registry, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory and the World Trade Center Health Program.
🟥 Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
According to ProPublica, the April 1 RIF notifications went to seven of the eight members of the FFFIPP, the team that studies firefighter line-of-duty deaths.
“The whole intent of this program was that people would learn through tragedy — what happened to one person — so we can prevent it from happening to others,” one of the laid-off investigator told the publication, adding, “It breaks my heart that we’re going to just destroy these programs that have made so much progress in protecting the health and safety of our firefighting community.”
FFFIPP reports are not only shared with the firefighter’s family but also the broader firefighting community in order to learn from tragedy.
The team was investigating deaths at approximately 20 fire departments when the RIF notices arrived. It is unclear if those investigations will be completed.
FFFIPP employees have shared recent reports with external publications, like FirefighterCloseCalls.com, to ensure they can still reach the masses if the FFFIPP site is shut down. (Additional NIOSH Science Blog content has been shared with FireRescue1 for the same reason, ensuring the educational material can reach firefighters if the blog goes dark.)
🟥 National Firefighter Registry
The April 1 NIOSH layoffs also hit the National Firefighter Registry, a massive effort to study firefighter cancer. President Trump signed it into law during his first term. Since that time, more than 23,000 firefighters have signed up to participate.
Almost immediately after the news of the NIOSH layoffs, the NFR site went offline.
According to ProPublica, “While HHS said in a statement that programs required by law would remain intact, it did not answer a question about whether it would bring back staff to keep the registry running.”
🟥 National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
The HHS restructuring plan also includes significant cuts to the NPPTL, which certifies respirators ranging from N95 masks to full-face coverings worn by firefighters.
🟥 World Trade Center Health Program
Tens of thousands of responders and survivors rely on the World Trade Center Health Program to get treatment and medication and monitor injuries and illnesses caused by the toxins around Ground Zero during and after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Feb. 14 – Staff fired: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., fired all probationary employees at the agency, among them 20% of the WTC Health Program staff.
Feb. 20 – Politicians seek to save program: Amid uproar over the cuts, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) urge Kennedy to reverse course.
Feb. 21 – Cuts halted: WTC Health Program cuts were reversed following backlash from New York’s elected officials.
April 1 – NIOSH cuts hit program: The broader NIOSH layoffs included Dr. John Howard, the head of NIOSH and the administrator of the WTC Health Program. According to the New York Daily News:
Advocates argued that Howard certifies health conditions for 9/11 first responders and survivors, meaning his departure brings the program to a virtual halt.
Benjamin Chevat, executive director of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act, said in a statement: “These cuts to NIOSH will be devastating to the World Trade Center Health Program and must be stopped. The first step must be restoring Dr. Howard as NIOSH Director immediately.”
April 5 – Dr. Howard reinstatement: Secretary Kennedy indicated that he would reinstate Dr. John Howard; however, 16 members of the program for 9/11 first responders and survivors still faced termination, legislators and advocates said.
April 28 – Denied care: After three 9/11 FDNY staff (and WTC Health Program participants) were denied cancer care by the program, it was disclosed that Dr. Howard had not been fully brought back. “That lack of confirmed status put the program into disarray, preventing as many as 1,200 members presenting with new conditions from being officially approved for treatment, and perhaps up to 800 responders and survivors who met program criteria were delayed care and not enrolled in the program,” Chevat said.
April 29 – NIOSH programs temporarily restored: The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced that some NIOSH programs focused on firefighter health and safety will be restored following a “misinterpreted executive order” that resulted in dozens of layoffs to the FFFIPP, National Firefighter Registry and the WTC Health Program. IAFF President Ed Kelly shared the following message with IAFF members:
Kennedy Jr. praised firefighters on X, adding that “critical services of NIOSH will remain intact.”
Firefighters are among the most courageous and selfless people in our society. They stand as a living testament to the principle that public service is the highest calling. Firefighter health and safety programs remain a top priority for @HHSgov. As the agency continues to…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 28, 2025
Cathy Tinney-Zara, a NIOSH public health analyst and president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3430, underscored the temporary nature of the NIOSH staff callbacks:
May 1 – Dr. Howard returns: Dr. Howard was again able to approve treatment for conditions and enroll new members, but his return was only guaranteed through June 2, according to Chevat.
May 2 – WTC Health Program firings: Employees were notified that their jobs were eliminated.
Chevat called the terminations “an outrageous betrayal of 9/11 responders and survivors.”
May 5 – Lawsuits begin: Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against HHS, Secretary Kennedy and other federal health officials, alleging that the agency’s restructuring endangers the American public. The goal is to prevent what the lawsuit calls the “unconstitutional and illegal dismantling” of the HHS.
Per CNN, an HHS spokesperson said in a statement: “The reforms are designed to strengthen the agency’s capacity to serve the American public, not weaken it. HHS remains confident that the process will withstand legal scrutiny and looks forward to a resolution that reflects the facts and the law.”
May 7 – WTC Health Program workers rehired: 15 of the 16 fired employees were notified that they were being reinstated after a bipartisan outcry. In a statement, Chevat called the action “good news” while pushing for more answers:
May 13 – NIOSH workers’ RIF revoked: A memo from Tom Nagy, chief human capital officer with HHS, alerted some NIOSH employees that their previous reduction in force (RIF) notification was “hereby revoked.” The notifications were sent to employees working for the FFFIPP, NFR and the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory.
Ongoing – Action underway: Fire service leaders have called upon firefighters and advocates to continue to express their support for these programs to members of Congress. CFSI’s Legislative Action Center shares information on outreach to Congress.
Other federal program/agency news
May 2 – FY2026 budget proposal: The Trump administration released its proposed 2026 budget, which includes a proposal to restructure federal wildland firefighting responsibilities and make significant cuts to several health agencies. Under the fiscal year 2026 plan, the administration is seeking to consolidate wildland fire management functions — currently divided between five agencies across the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) — into a new Federal Wildland Fire Service housed within DOI.
