New York Attorney General Letitia James won a lawsuit brought with 20 other attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania to stop the illegal elimination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports critical infrastructure projects to protect communities from disasters before they happen. BRIC is FEMA’s largest disaster preparedness program and has received bipartisan support since its creation. It provides billions of dollars in funding to communities in all 50 states to support infrastructure improvements that save lives and protect property from natural disasters. After the federal administration unlawfully terminated the program in April, Attorney General James and the coalition sued to stop its funds from being diverted. The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted Attorney General James and the coalition’s motion for summary judgment, ruling that the federal administration’s attempt to eliminate BRIC was illegal and the program must continue.
“From devastating wildfires to record-breaking storms, communities across the country are facing threats from increasingly destructive natural disasters,” said Attorney General James. “The BRIC program helps states prepare for these disasters and save lives. This decision is a major victory for New Yorkers and millions across the country whose lives and livelihoods were put at risk by this administration’s reckless attempt to eliminate this program.”
BRIC provides financial and technical assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to implement new measures that protect communities from natural disasters. The program’s funds support the construction of evacuation shelters and flood walls, protections for water and power infrastructure, and improvements to roads and bridges. Despite the program’s success and longtime bipartisan support, the Trump administration unlawfully terminated the program in April 2025, diverting over $4 billion out of FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation fund and into funds for post-disaster grants…