By Abdullahi Lukman
Twenty U.S. states filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Trump administration, accusing it of unlawfully terminating a multibillion-dollar disaster mitigation grant program.
The suit, filed in a Boston federal court, claims the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) violated congressional authority by shutting down its Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC) program in April.
The states argue the move has already had devastating impacts on communities nationwide.
According to the complaint, hundreds of mitigation projects have been delayed, downsized, or canceled due to the loss of funding.
Many of these projects, years in development and heavily invested in through planning and environmental review, now face collapse. The result, the lawsuit says, is an increased risk of harm from future natural disasters.
BRIC, launched in 2018, aimed to support infrastructure improvements and disaster preparedness, helping prevent over $150 billion in estimated losses, the plaintiffs claim.
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FEMA has awarded roughly $4.5 billion across nearly 2,000 projects over the last four years under this initiative.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha emphasized BRIC’s long-term benefits, calling it a proactive and life-saving measure.
The Trump administration, however, labeled the program “wasteful” and “politicized,” and hinted at a broader FEMA overhaul during President Trump’s second term.
In light of recent disasters like the Texas floods, the administration now says FEMA will be reformed, not dismantled.
Nonetheless, the states argue the BRIC shutdown was not only damaging but also illegal, asserting that Congress did not authorize the termination or significant downsizing of FEMA’s capabilities.
“Congress has specifically barred such actions,” the complaint states, adding that the administration’s move violates both statutory law and the constitutional separation of powers.
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown said the cut places vulnerable communities at heightened risk and vowed to hold the administration accountable for neglecting its public safety obligations.
