Washington Watch: October 9, 2025

📌Government Shutdown Watch: The federal government has now been shut down for nine days with no end in sight. The Senate has held several votes on a House-passed continuing resolution (CR), but the repeated votes have not yet garnered enough Democratic support to pass the bill. Democrats are refusing to support a CR unless Republicans include extensions of tax credits to help lower health insurance premiums for individuals insured under the Affordable Care Act. If the tax credits expire, premium payments would increase significantly when open enrollment season begins on November 1. Republican leadership thus far has opted not to include an extension of the tax credits. A timeline for resolution on any of these issues remains unclear.

📌National Firefighter Registry (NFFR) for Cancer passes 32,000 Enrollments: At the end of September, the NFR announced that more than 32,000 current and former firefighters have enrolled in the NFR, making it “the largest cohort of U.S. firefighters ever assembled.” The NFR is conducting critical data collection, research, and analysis to better understand and address cancer in the fire service.

➡️Join the NFR Today! Click here to enroll.

📌CFSI Honored to Be Recognized as an NFR Champion: The NFR for Cancer has begun recognizing “fire service, media, and other nonprofit organizations who actively encourage firefighters in their networks to join the NFR for Cancer.”

CFSI worked to secure the creation and subsequent reauthorization of the NFR and has supported annual funding for the program. We are pleased that the NFR has grown to surpass 32,000 enrollments and look forward to seeing what is to come for this important program.

📌It’s Fire Prevention Week: This week, CFSI is supporting Fire Prevention Week and encouraging everyone to learn about safe usage of lithium-ion batteries. Learn more at fpw.org!

Here’s how you can take action today:

✅ Visit CFSI’s Legislative Action Center for information reaching out to Congress.

➡️ One active “ask” is to include the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act (S.237) in the NDAA. An email script is provided!

✅Check out CFSI’s One Minute Advocate video below to learn how to find your members of Congress!

✅ If your members of Congress are not on the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, ask them to join!

Stay engaged. Stay informed. And together, let’s keep making a difference.