In a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) questioned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the Trump administration pulling funding for in-person classes at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He learned that decision has been reversed, and the academy will be funded.
The National Fire Academy trains more than 100,000 emergency personnel each year, many in person at their Emmitsburg campus. But in March 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) canceled classes, leaving thousands of firefighters in the lurch as they were about to travel across the country for a class set to begin the following week. NBC Washington reported that students already on campus had their classes interrupted and were told to immediately pack their belongings and depart.
Van Hollen, Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Maryland) — who represents Emmitsburg as part of her district in Congress — and 64 of their congressional colleagues wrote a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Noem and then-Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton demanding an explanation. (Editor’s note: Hamilton was fired Thursday, a day after testifying to Congress that he was opposed to closing FEMA.) As of Thursday, Van Hollen had not received a response.
In Thursday’s hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Van Hollen noted the silence.
After confirming that Noem was indeed familiar with the U.S. Fire Academy, Van Hollen said, “So, right now, as you may know, it’s not being funded. All the in-person classes have been canceled. So, I, together with some of my colleagues, including Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, who represents that district in Congress, wrote to you back on March 14 about the situation there. I would just ask, could you commit today to responding to our letter?”
“Yeah, I believe we did respond – even if it may have just been recently to you – but those grants and programs are being facilitated, and those dollars will be forwarded,” Noem said. “So, that is something that if I didn’t get that back to you, we will get it to you within 24 hours.”
Van Hollen expressed surprise and reiterated that he had not heard anything from Noem’s department at all, though it was welcome news.
“Well, that would be some good news to come out of the hearing, because we really have not heard a thing,” Van Hollen said. “I’m reading from a headline: ‘Trump officials silent as firefighters lobby to reopen training academy in Maryland.’ This is an article from yesterday. So – you’re bringing good news today that we’re going to renew funding for the National Fire Academy?”
“That is the direction that we are taking, and we will get that information to you,” Noem said.
National Public Radio recently reported that the town of Emmitsburg voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump but was reeling from his seemingly arbitrary decision to stop funding the fire academy. NPR interviewed around two dozen people from the town of around 3,000, and nearly all of them voted for Trump. Of the four people quoted in the article, three were identified as Trump voters. They were all in favor of cutting federal spending, but could not understand why Trump would cut spending to something as vital as the National Fire Academy.
