From the New York Times: The budget agreement that President Obama struck with Congress changed the rules governing SAFER Grants, which help struggling cities hire firefighters — reducing the grants so much, union and city officials said, that many cities may find themselves unable to take advantage of the program.

Harold A. Schaitberger, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said changes made to the law during the conference committee process would probably render the program useless to many cities.

Under the old law, the grants could pay the full salaries and benefits of firefighters for two years. But the new budget agreement caps the amount of money that can be awarded at levels well below the true cost of a firefighter’s salary and fringe benefits, Schaitberger said.

Other provisions would make it hard for the most truly distressed cities — which have drastically cut their fire budgets, and which may not be able to promise to retain the new firefighters after the grants run out — to qualify for the program. The result, Schaitberger said, is that many cities will not be able to afford the program. Read the entire article here.