Details of the budget agreement that was passed in the 11th hour to prevent a government shutdown were released mid-April and outlined some of the cuts that affect emergency responders, including $786 million from first responder grants, $276 million from pandemic flu prevention programs, $200 million from unspent wildfire funds, $414 million from grants to state and local police departments and $1.1 billion from an across-the-board cut to domestic accounts.
Nearly $38 billion was slashed in the stopgap budget approved for fiscal year 2011, which started in October and is already halfway over. Additional cuts are expected as lawmakers gear up for an even bigger battle over the federal budget.