President George W. Bush's proposed budget for 2007, released February 6 by the White House, cuts funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program to a level barely half that of 2006. The new budget includes just $293 million for the program, down from the $545 million appropriated for 2006.

Funding of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program at the level requested would have serious consequences for fire departments across the country. "The AFG program is terribly important to the fire service because the funding goes directly to the fire departments that need it most," said National Volunteer Fire Council Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg, in a statement issued Feb. 8. "The program is designed to give fire departments across the country the basic tools that they need to respond to everything from typical calls to national disasters."

The proposed budget also eliminates funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, Fire Prevention grants, the Rural Fire Assistance Program and significantly cuts funding for the U.S. Forest Service's Volunteer Fire Assistance Program, which provides matching grants to rural fire departments that protect communities with populations under 10,000.