SHAWANO, WI – Shawano County may lose tens of thousands of dollars in emergency management funding after federal rule changes drastically reduced the 2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant.
Sheriff’s Lt. Chris Madle told the county’s public safety committee that FEMA halted the grant program earlier this year and later reopened it with new conditions that slashed expected funding by nearly 75 percent.
The county typically receives about $40,000 annually, but Madle warned that the ongoing uncertainty could eliminate that support entirely by 2026. A coalition of 12 states, including Wisconsin, has filed a lawsuit challenging the revised rules, arguing they undermine emergency preparedness efforts and exceed FEMA’s legal authority.
Madle added that all 72 Wisconsin counties are in the same position, with the application window for next year’s grant still not open.
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