Washington Report – July 7, 2025

APWA has submitted comments on the Fixing Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Act of 2025 discussion draft, which House Committee on Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) introduced;
Language in the draft calls for the following actions:
- For FEMA to be a stand-alone agency, led by a director reporting to the President of the United States
- Streamlining the process of getting paperwork completed by applicants and help expedite funding for applicants
- Supporting greater flexibility by allowing small and rural agencies, and financially burdened entities, to better address the needs of their respective communities with tailored mitigation projects and programs to meet specific needs
You can view APWA’s letter here.

APWA partner, the National Homeland Security Consortium (NHSC), has sent an after-action report to FEMA with NHSC recommendations following the most recent conference held this past February in Virginia;
APWA NHSC representatives Mike Millette of South Elgin, Illinois, and Marty Williams, with APWA Government Affairs, attended the conference;
Recommendations include:
- Urging FEMA to broaden the focus of its mitigation programs to allow states and local governments to invest FEMA grant funding in mitigation projects that can address critical vulnerabilities in these public infrastructures
- Calling on FEMA to expand and build on prior efforts and work to foster a spirit of nationwide preparedness, not just among emergency management professionals, but among individuals and communities as well
NHSC consists of 22 national organizations that represent local, state, and private sector professionals who deliver daily services that are vital to the safety and security of the United States.

FEMA’s National Disaster and Emergency Management University resumed in-person residential training at the National Emergency Training Center campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and has immediate vacancies for FY25 course offerings;
The National Disaster and Emergency Management University also released its full catalog of FY26 training opportunities.

FEMA is seeking comments on direct housing assistance forms that are used to provide temporary housing units, including manufactured housing units, recreational vehicles and other readily fabricated dwellings to eligible applicants following a major disaster or emergency;
When submitting comments, include the agency name (FEMA) and Docket ID;
The deadline to submit comments is Aug. 25.

U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy has issued changes to three sets of the department’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing procedures;
The three set updates released by the Department are:
- Department-wide order
- Joint Procedures for the Federal Highway Admin. (FHWA), Federal Transit Admin. (FTA) and the Federal Railroad Admin.
- Environmental Policy and Guidance for the Federal Aviation Admin. (FAA)
There have not been changes to the department’s implementation procedures related to NEPA in 40 years;
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a Permitting Technology Action Plan May 30, which outlines a government-wide action plan for using technology to review and coordinate permitting more efficiently amongst relevant agencies.

DOT Secretary Duffy sent a letter to all Governors last week outlining the department’s Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies—SAFE ROADS—initiative;
The Federal Highway Admin. (FHWA) is the lead agency for the initiative, and will assist states in this effort to improve mobility and safety by:
- Tracking nationwide progress of the SAFE ROADS initiative
- Assisting State DOTs with technical expertise and resources, including road safety audits and assessments
- Helping to select effective safety and operational countermeasures to accelerate improvements
- Ensuring compliance with federal standards, such as those for traffic control devices and use of the roadway right-of-way
SAFE ROADS targets non-freeway arterial roads;
The Secretary’s letter to state DOTs is available here.

APWA is a member of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT), which is against larger and heavier trucks being allowed on our nation’s roadways for reasons of safety and protecting the integrity of our transportation infrastructure;
The Coalition sent a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees leaders urging they reject “… any language that would increase maximum truck weight or length limits on federal highways”;
Our opposition extends to any language that would raise truck weight limits as part of a “pilot program,” give governors the authority to unilaterally increase truck weight limits on interstates, and any state or commodity exemptions or waivers of current federal limits that may be offered as a provision during markup or discussions;
Mark-ups on FY26 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) appropriations will begin next week, and APWA Government Affairs will be tracking all the activity.

If you have not already done so, contact your U.S. Representative about the re-established U.S. House Public Works & Infrastructure Caucus using APWA’s legislative action alert tool;
Based on your zip code, a pre-generated email thanking them for joining will be sent if your Representative is already a member; if your Representative has not yet joined, pre-generated language urging them to join will appear for you;
Participating in these action alerts is critical to helping amplify APWA’s voice in Congress;
The caucus, originally established in 2016, plays an invaluable role in helping to educate Congress about the importance of public works and infrastructure;
Click here to email your lawmaker, then share the link;
Text PWX to 52886 to receive alerts via text message.

July 9 at 10 a.m., the House Natural Resources Committee Federal Lands Subcommittee will hold a hearing, The State of Our Nation’s Federal Forests and the Outlook for the 2025 Wildfire Year;
July 9 at 2 p.m. the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council is scheduled to hold its second meeting. Register to participate virtually by contacting Patrick Powers, Designated Federal Officer of the President’s FEMA Review Council at FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov.