Over a dozen attorneys general from Democratic-led states are suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for cutting bipartisan-approved funding for natural disaster response.
According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, a coalition of 20 states accuses President Donald Trump of illegally terminating FEMA's pre-disaster mitigation program — called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC. The program's grants help cover up to 75% of a project's costs, but can rise to 90% for smaller rural communities.
"Over the past four years, FEMA has selected nearly 2,000 projects to receive roughly $4.5 billion in BRIC funding," the lawsuit states. "From Washington to North Carolina and Arizona to Maine, and everywhere in between, every state in the nation is relying on this program. All that changed when Cameron Hamilton, who the Trump administration unlawfully installed to act as FEMA's Administrator, suddenly — and illegally — shut down the program."
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According to court documents, the attorneys general claim the termination of BRIC is directly contrary to Congress' approval of funding to prioritize natural disaster mitigation efforts.
"By unilaterally shutting down FEMA's flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of powers principles," the lawsuit states.
This comes after President Trump said last month that his administration will begin phasing out FEMA after this year's hurricane season, and instead shift disaster management to the state level. He said the federal government will still continue to give funding to states for disaster management; however, it will come directly from the president's office and will be "less money."
Plans to eliminate FEMA have raised concerns among federal and state emergency managers, who say most states don't have the budget or personnel to handle catastrophic disasters on their own.
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“This administration’s decision to slash billions of dollars that protect our communities from floods, wildfires, and other disasters puts millions of New Yorkers at risk,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “New Yorkers depend on quality roads, floodwalls, and other vital infrastructure to keep them safe when disaster strikes. This administration has no authority to cut this program that has helped save countless lives, and I will continue to fight to ensure New York gets the support we need to prepare for dangerous natural disasters.”
Along with New York, plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
