Over 20 States Sue FEMA Over Flooding Grant Program Cuts

The Trump administration has proposed significant cuts to FEMA’s grant programs, including the elimination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which has prompted lawsuits from over 20 states including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Delaware. These cuts, part of a broader FEMA restructuring aimed at downsizing the agency and shifting disaster preparedness responsibility to states, could delay or cancel hundreds of projects designed to strengthen infrastructure against flooding, storms, and wildfires. Critics say the cuts will increase vulnerability to disasters, reduce preparedness for terrorist and cyberattacks, and undermine security in major cities by eliminating key programs like the Urban Areas Security Initiative. Pennsylvania officials warn that proposed policy changes would severely hamper disaster response capabilities, raising damage thresholds for federal aid and potentially disqualifying the state from disaster declarations for recent major storms. North Carolina communities have already faced devastating impacts after losing BRIC funding, as seen when Tropical Storm Chantal flooded infrastructure that grant projects aimed to protect. FEMA defends its actions as focusing on core emergency management missions but faces widespread opposition from states concerned about the consequences of these funding cuts.