(Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has stopped the release of emergency preparedness grants to states until they prove their populations, CNN reported on Thursday, citing a notice by the agency.

The agency contends that states may be getting inflated payments because most of the money is distributed proportionately based on state population, CNN reported.

The funds — called Emergency Management Performance Grants — totaled more than $300 million last year and help local communities prepare for disasters, CNN said.

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Christian Martinez and Kanishka Singh)