[Comments on FEMA Authority To Withold Oregon's Emergency Planning Funds]

In response to a congressional request, GAO discussed whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was empowered to withhold all or part of Oregon's 1987 emergency planning funds, based on the state's non-participation in a nuclear war emergency communications exercise. GAO held that: (1) FEMA had the authority to withhold the funds but was not statutorily required to do so; and (2) if FEMA elected to withhold the funds, it would be required to observe full procedural due process.