Overview

• A coalition of 20 states filed suit on July 16 in Boston federal court claiming FEMA’s April termination of the BRIC program violated Congressional funding powers and separation of powers statutes.
• Since its 2018 launch, BRIC awarded about $4.5 billion to nearly 2,000 projects and helped avert over $150 billion in projected disaster costs alongside other federal grants.
• The complaint asserts that hundreds of local resilience projects have been delayed, scaled back or canceled, heightening community risk to natural disasters.
• Plaintiffs allege acting FEMA directors Cameron Hamilton and David Richardson lacked proper appointments and authority to end the program under federal law.
• The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to compel immediate reinstatement of BRIC while litigation proceeds.