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Federal Judge Vacates FEMA's Shutdown of BRIC Disaster-Mitigation Program

The court found the administration lacked authority to end a Congress-funded initiative.

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U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns attends the Investiture Ceremony for U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, who blocked the Trump administration for weeks from finalizing the deportation of eight men to South Sudan, at the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston ruled the Trump administration unlawfully ended FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.
  • His summary-judgment order declares the termination void and directs FEMA to reverse policies and actions taken to implement the shutdown.
  • In August, Stearns barred FEMA from diverting more than $4 billion that had been allocated to BRIC for other purposes.
  • A coalition of about 20 states, led by Washington and Massachusetts, said the cancellation forced delays, cutbacks, or cancellations of hundreds of mitigation projects.
  • BRIC is FEMA’s largest pre-disaster mitigation program, with roughly $4.5 billion approved for nearly 2,000 projects in recent years; the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment.