Top Watchdog Again Finds Trump Has Illegally Blocked FEMA Funds—Including for Disaster Preparedness Systems

Murray responds as GAO finds-for the 7^th time in recent months-that Trump has illegally impounded funding

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision issued today, which concludes that President Trump has illegally impounded Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) funding in violation of the Impoundment Control Act (ICA). This includes funding provided for: the Next Generation Warning System Grants Program (NGWS), which helps deliver lifesaving emergency alerts to communities nationwide; the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), which helps local communities address homelessness and provide critical services; and the Shelter and Services Program (SSP).

"President Trump has broken the law to block funding to help deliver emergency alerts to communities nationwide; his corrupt lawlessness is actively making Americans less safe. Today, we have another stark reminder of how President Trump's lawless assault on our spending laws is hurting real people in every part of the country-as funding is held up to address homelessness, prepare for disasters, and much more. It is time for Republicans to join us in insisting that every last penny that is owed to the American people gets out to the American people."

In its decision today, the GAO concluded that:

"Currently available evidence indicates that FEMA has violated the ICA by improperly withholding, delaying, or effectively precluding the obligation or expenditure of budget authority for the following programs: Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), Shelter and Services Program (SSP), and Next Generation Warning System Grants Program (NGWS). …. Once enacted, an appropriation is a law like any other, and the President must implement it by ensuring that appropriated funds are obligated and expended prudently. …. With respect to the interruptions to prior year appropriations for FEMA's EFSP, SSP, and NGWS grants, the facts do not support the finding of a programmatic delay. …. FEMA deobligated planned awards entirely and withdrew previously disbursed funding, and its actions do not indicate that it is taking reasonable and necessary steps to implement these programs moving forward. …. [W]e have no indication that FEMA is making progress on reviewing awards or implementing the new administration's priorities. In fact, for each of the programs discussed below, the data shows drastically lowered obligation rates since February 2025 as compared to previous fiscal years, with few to no obligations or outlays recorded since. The burden to justify withholdings rests with FEMA."

Earlier this month, GAO concluded that the Trump administration has illegally impounded fiscal year 2025 FEMA funds, and noted it will issue other decisions addressing FEMA funds, including for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, a key disaster preparedness program that the Trump administration announced it was illegally terminating earlier this year.

Presidents do not wield the power to unilaterally withhold or block investments that have been enacted into law through "impoundment." This foundational principle has been affirmed time and again. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 makes this plain and establishes limited procedures the president can and must follow to propose delaying or rescinding enacted funding. The ICA also charges GAO with the responsibility of investigating and reporting to Congress when the president illegally withholds funding.

The GAO has acknowledged that it has opened 46 impoundment investigations and counting.

Today's announcement adds to a growing list of decisions from GAO finding the Trump administration has illegally impounded funding:

1. May: GAO concluded Trump is illegally impounding funding for electric vehicle charging.
2. June: GAO concluded Trump is illegally impounding funding for museums and libraries across America.
3. July: GAO concluded Trump illegally impounded Head Start funding.
4. July: GAO concluded Trump illegally blocked funding for K-12 to make energy efficiency upgrades.
5. August: GAO concluded Trump is illegally impounding NIH medical research funding.
6. September: GAO concluded Trump is illegally impounding FEMA funding for fiscal year 2025.
7. September:GAO concluded Trump is illegally impounding FEMA funding provided for fiscal years 2021-2024.

Since his first hours in office, President Trump has illegally blocked funding owed to communities across the country through a variety of different means. Senate and House Appropriations Committee Democrats have been tracking Trump's funding freeze and found that, as of September 8, President Trump was blocking at least $410 billion in funding owed to the American people.

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