CPB Sues FEMA Over Unpaid Station Reimbursements
CPB wants a federal court to force the Federal Emergency Management Agency to remove a hold on paying reimbursement requests from public broadcasting stations connected to upgrades to emergency alerting, according to CPB filings in the U.S. District Court for…
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the District of Columbia (docket 1:25-cv-00740-TJK). CPB administers grant funds from FEMA marked by Congress to help station upgrades connected with the Next Generation Warning System, but FEMA ceased paying the reimbursements to 42 stations after a White House executive order was issued to freeze grants, the filing said. “Not just future reimbursements for expenses not-yet-incurred, but also for reimbursements of expenses already incurred by these stations in reliance on the grant’s terms,” CPB said. FEMA didn’t inform CPB that the funds were on hold and is “refusing to provide any communications as to why the funds have been placed on hold, placing new restrictions on the grant, and refusing to provide any mechanism through which CPB can make any submissions in compliance with the grant,” CPB said. CPB can’t reimburse the stations but also faces potential liability over the unpaid funds, the filing said. The court should “enter a very focused and very feasible Temporary Restraining Order simply requiring FEMA to re-open the grant submission portal” and “return to timely processing and promptly paying requests to reimburse,” CPB said. FEMA didn't comment.