Arizona among states suing FEMA over program cuts | News

BOSTON (KVOA) – Twenty states, including Arizona, have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), challenging the decision to terminate a grant program aimed at helping communities mitigate damage from natural disasters.

The lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts. It argues that the Trump administration’s April announcement to end the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program was illegal. FEMA has canceled ongoing projects and refused to approve new ones, despite funding from Congress.

The BRIC program provides grants for disaster mitigation efforts such as levees, safe rooms, vegetation management, and seismic retrofitting. During his first term, President Trump signed a law boosting funding for disaster risk reduction, with further support coming from an infrastructure law signed by former President Biden.

The lawsuit claims the Trump administration’s decision violated the constitutional separation of powers, as Congress had not authorized the program’s termination. It also alleges the decision was made under an acting FEMA administrator who did not meet the necessary requirements to lead the agency.