20 states sue FEMA for canceling grant program that guards against natural disasters

Twenty Democratic-led states filed suit Wednesday against the Federal Exigency Management Agency challenging the elimination of a long-running grant effort that helps communities guard against damage from natural disasters The lawsuit contends President Donald Trump s administration acted illegally when it broadcasted in April that it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities initiative FEMA canceled specific projects already in the works and refused to approve new ones despite funding from Congress In the wake of devastating flooding in Texas and other states it s clear just how critical federal tools are in helping states prepare for and respond to natural disasters noted Attorney General Andrea Elation Campbell of Massachusetts where the federal lawsuit was filed By abruptly and unlawfully shutting down the BRIC scheme this administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents and in the event of accident save lives FEMA did not straightaway respond Wednesday to a request for comment It disclosed in April that the effort was wasteful and ineffective and more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters The undertaking established by a law provides grants for a variety of mishap mitigation efforts including levees to protect against floods safe rooms to provide shelter from tornadoes vegetation management to reduce damage from fires and seismic retrofitting to fortify buildings for earthquakes During his first term Trump signed a law shoring up funding for accident pitfall reduction efforts The project then got a billion boost from an infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden That law requires FEMA to make available at least million annually for catastrophe mitigation grants for the - fiscal years the lawsuit says The suit contends the Trump administration violated the constitutional separation of powers because Congress had not authorized the venture s demise It also alleges the project s termination was illegal because the decision was made while FEMA was under the leadership of an acting administrator who had not met the requirements to be in charge of the agency The lawsuit says communities in every state have benefited from federal calamity mitigation grants which saved lives and spared homes businesses hospitals and schools from costly damage Selected communities have already been affected by the decision to end the operation Hillsborough North Carolina had been awarded nearly million to relocate a wastewater pumping station out of a flood plain and make other water and sewer system improvements But that hadn t happened yet when the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal damaged the pumping station and forced it offline last week In rural Mount Pleasant North Carolina town executives had hoped to use more than million from the BRIC plan to improve stormwater drainage and safeguard a vulnerable electric system thus protecting investments in a historic theater and other businesses While the society largely supports Trump assistant town manager Erin Burris mentioned people were blindsided by the lost funding they had spent years pursuing I ve had downtown property owners saying What do we do Burris declared I ve got engineering plans ready to go and I don t have the money to do it Associated Press reporters Jack Brook Michael Casey and Gary D Robertson contributed to this statement Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press Review for America Statehouse News Initiative Account for America is a nonprofit national institution plan that places journalists in local newsrooms to account on undercovered issues