Az AG Mayes, other states sue Trump administration for pulling $4.5 billion from FEMA disaster prevention

A coalition of 20 states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday
for shutting down a $4.5 billion grant program aimed at preventing
natural disasters by strengthening local infrastructure.

In a 68-page lawsuit
filed in Massachusetts, the states claim that the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) unlawfully ended the Building Resilient
Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC) program, a bipartisan initiative
that supports infrastructure projects nationwide.

“The impact of
the shutdown has been devastating,” the states argue. “Communities
across the country are being forced to delay, scale back, or cancel
hundreds of mitigation projects depending on this funding.”

Although
BRIC began in 2018, states say it builds on decades of disaster relief
grants and is highly effective, citing studies that show $1 spent saves
$6 in post-disaster costs.

FEMA announced the program’s end in
Spring, claiming that it was “wasteful” and “politicized” in a press
release from April 4, which has since been deleted from the agency’s website. 

“The
BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA
program,” said an agency spokesperson. “It was more concerned with
political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.”

A spokesperson for FEMA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

However,
the states argue that funding is more necessary now than ever, thanks
in part to the impact of climate change on floods, heat waves and other
extreme weather events. 

“Projects that have been in development
for years, and in which communities have invested millions of dollars
for planning, permitting, and environmental review, are now threatened,”
they say. “And in the meantime, Americans across the country face a
higher risk of harm from natural disasters.”

The states argue that
pulling funding puts them at greater risk from extreme weather and
jeopardizes up to 2,000 FEMA-approved projects.

In Illinois, the money supports clean drinking water in the town of DePue and flood prevention in the Des Plaines River Valley.

In
California, it funds a $21 million flood prevention project in
Sacramento and a $33 million landslide prevention effort in Rancho Palos
Verdes.

And in New York, $50 million from the BRIC program was
allocated to protect New York City residents from rising sea levels and
extreme heat. All of which are now in question.

“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,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a
statement. “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,”
James added.

Wednesday’s lawsuit is the latest of dozens
scrutinizing the Trump administration’s unprecedented cuts to federal
funding. The newest complaint reiterates that Congress, not the
president, has the power of the purse, and that allowing the executive
branch to rescind these grants violates the Constitution. 

The
states also argue that President Donald Trump unlawfully installed the
two FEMA administrators carrying out this directive, further undermining
its legality and legitimacy. 

Massachusetts, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin make up the 20-state coalition
behind Wednesday’s complaint.