At Thursday's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) questioned DHS Sec. Kristi Noem about founding for the US Fire Academy.
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00:00Thank you very much. Senator Van Hollen.
00:03Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Secretary, I'm going to ask you about something I hope we can agree on.
00:08Are you familiar with the U.S. Fire Academy?
00:11It trains about 100,000 firefighters from around the country.
00:16Yes.
00:17So right now, as you may know, it's not being funded.
00:22All the in-person classes have been canceled.
00:26So I, together with some of my colleagues, including Congresswoman April McLean Delaney, who represents that district in Congress, wrote to you back on March 14th about the situation there.
00:40I would just ask, could you commit today to responding to our letter?
00:43Yeah, I believe we did respond, even if it may have just been recently to you.
00:49But those grants and programs are being facilitated, and those dollars will be forwarded.
00:57So that is something that if I didn't get that back to you, we will get it to you within 24 hours.
01:03Well, that would be some good news to come out of the hearing, because we really have not heard a thing.
01:09I'm reading from a headline, Trump officials silent as firefighters lobby to reopen training academy in Maryland.
01:15This is an article from yesterday, so if you're bringing good news today, that we're going to renew funding for the National Fire Academy?
01:24That is the direction that we are taking, and we will get that information to you.
01:30Yep.
01:30Thank you, Madison.
01:31Thank you, Madam Chair.
01:32Thank you, Senator Van Hollen.
01:33Senator Haggerty.
01:36Thank you, Madam Chair.
01:37Thank you, Madam Chair.