Under the Hood: FEMA Pulled the Plug — Now What?
By Tim Carl
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The Spotlight
Welcome to “Under the Hood,” our exclusive Saturday series for Napa Valley Features paid subscribers. this week we explore why FEMA’s decision to cancel a major fire prevention grant hits Napa County harder than most — and what local leaders are doing about it.
Additionally, we’re diving into the latest data from our readers’ polls and providing insights from our economic dashboard, covering local Napa Valley, U.S. and global markets.
In addition, we feature "What We Are Reading," a section with a handpicked list of recent articles that provides a variety of viewpoints on issues important to our community and beyond.
“What We Are Reading” quotes of the day:
“FEMA’s cancellation of BRIC funding is a gut punch to a model that’s working.” — Anne Cottrell, quoted in today’s Under the Hood
“Congressional Republicans have mandated an $880 billion budget cut, something that can’t be done without destroying Medicaid. And the destruction of Medicaid will hurt everyone.” – from Mike Thompson, in "Thompson, Disability Leaders, Patients Warn of Devastating Medicaid Cuts," Thompson Press Release.
"Trump is shackling the greatest institutions in American life. We have nothing to lose but our chains." – from David Brooks, in "What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal," The New York Times.
"The key shift in the last few years has been a downturn in the major growth markets, particularly USA and China, on top of stable or declining consumption in the traditional wine countries." – from John Barker, in "Global wine consumption falls to six-decade low as inflation bites," Decanter.
“Wine isn’t a commodity like steel. You can’t replace a Sonoma Pinot Noir with something else.” – from Charles Jefferson, in "US wine bodies lobby Congress for answers," The DrinksBusiness.
“If nothing else, tariff developments are one more reason for a potential buyer to err on the side of sitting out the market for a little while longer.” – from the Ciatti California Report, in "Bulk market hesitantly active; grape demand slow," Ciatti Report.
“We’re not just staying home. We’re going to go spend the same money somewhere else.” – from Curtis Allen, a Canadian videographer, in "U.S. economy to lose billions as foreign tourists stay away," Fortune.
"The 2025 spring selling season started slower than expected as potential homebuyers have been more cautious due to continued affordability constraints and declining consumer confidence." – from Paul Romanowski, in "D.R. Horton cuts 2025 revenue forecast on weak demand for homes," Reuters.
“At best, US research is at risk from friendly fire; at worst, it’s political short-sightedness.” – from Steve Blank, in "How the United States became a science superpower — and how quickly it could crumble," Nature.
“There’s been tremendous progress made in global health over the last couple of decades and we’re at risk of losing a lot of that.” – from Katherine Horton, in "Scientists are trying to measure the impact on global health of funding cuts by the US administration," Nature.
“Green shoots are visible, but structural pessimism still dominates.” – from Real Charts, in "China Charts #11 China’s Households Are Still Playing Defense," Real China Charts.
FEMA Pulled the Plug — Now What?
By Tim Carl
NAPA COUNTY, Calif. — Napa County is facing the abrupt loss of $35 million in federal wildfire prevention funding after the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it is canceling its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.
In an April 4 statement, FEMA said:
“The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters. Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, we are committed to ensuring that Americans in crisis can get the help and resources they need.”
According to the agency, any grant funds not yet distributed will be returned to the U.S. Treasury or reapportioned by Congress. FEMA also stated:
“Ending this program will help ensure that grant funding aligns with the President’s Executive Orders and Secretary Noem’s direction and best support states and local communities in disaster planning, response and recovery.”
For Napa County, the news puts in jeopardy a comprehensive wildfire resilience effort that had already begun. The county was awarded a $35 million BRIC grant in August 2024 — one of 124 such grants nationwide — and had committed an additional 30% local match, bringing the total investment to $50 million.
“FEMA’s decision halts a program that was not only forward-thinking, but also fiscally responsible,” said Napa County executive officer Ryan Alsop. “This federal investment was leveraging millions of local and private dollars to proactively reduce wildfire risk — something that’s far more cost-effective than disaster recovery. Our communities have already stepped up and the loss of this support puts that momentum at risk.”