20 states sue the Trump admin for cutting disaster prevention money

A coalition of 20 US states, predominantly led by Democrats, has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration, seeking to reinstate a multi-billion-dollar grant programme crucial for infrastructure upgrades designed to mitigate natural disasters.

The lawsuit, filed in Boston federal court, contends that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acted unlawfully by cancelling the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) programme in April, despite its prior approval and funding by Congress.

The BRIC programme, established in 2018, was designed to cover up to 75 per cent of infrastructure project costs, or 90 per cent in rural areas, aimed at protecting communities from natural catastrophes.

Over the past four years, FEMA had allocated approximately $4.5 billion in grants for nearly 2,000 projects, many benefiting coastal states, funding initiatives from evacuation shelters to flood walls and improvements to roads and bridges.

The administration, however, cited the programme as wasteful, ineffective, and politicised when announcing its termination.

"By unilaterally shutting down FEMA’s flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of powers principles," the states, spearheaded by Washington and Massachusetts, asserted in their filing.

Neither FEMA nor the US Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.

The legal action comes as FEMA faces heightened scrutiny following its response to deadly floods in Texas earlier this month, which claimed over 130 lives.

This event has intensified focus on the administration's broader efforts to reduce the agency's scope or even abolish it.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers had previously urged FEMA in May to reinstate the grants, emphasising their particular importance for rural and tribal communities, and called for collaboration with Congress to enhance the programme's efficiency.

The states further argue that Congress designated disaster mitigation as a core function of FEMA, asserting that the US Constitution and federal law prohibit the Trump administration from altering the agency's mission without legislative input.

They also allege that Cameron Hamilton and his successor, David Richardson, who served as acting directors of FEMA when the programme was terminated, were not properly appointed and therefore lacked the authority to cancel it.

The states are now seeking a preliminary injunction to compel the programme's reinstatement while the case proceeds, marking the latest in a series of challenges by states against the Trump administration's approach to disaster funding.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, a Democrat, underscored the critical need for federal funding in light of the recent Texas floods.

"By abruptly and unlawfully shutting down the BRIC program, this administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents and, in the event of disaster, save lives," she said.