California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the termination of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The lawsuit, supported by 19 other states, challenges the decision to end the program that has provided billions in funding for disaster prevention.
Attorney General Bonta stated, “Nearly thirty years ago, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress recognized a simple fact: Preparing for disasters, instead of just reacting to them, saves money and lives.” He criticized the administration’s decision as jeopardizing public safety.
The BRIC program has been instrumental in funding projects across California aimed at mitigating risks from natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, landslides, and earthquakes. The state has already received tens of millions in grants and could potentially receive over a billion more if the program continues.
Bonta emphasized that proactive measures save lives and reduce costs associated with post-disaster recovery. Projects funded include those addressing landslide threats in Rancho Palos Verdes, flood mitigation in Sacramento, and seismic retrofitting of a hospital in Kern County.
The lawsuit argues that Cameron Hamilton’s decision to terminate the BRIC program was unlawful. It contends that neither Hamilton nor his successor were lawfully appointed or qualified under constitutional requirements. The coalition urges the court to reverse this decision before communities suffer irreversible damage due to loss of funding.
The attorneys general from states including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin Pennsylvania have joined Bonta in this legal action.
A copy of the lawsuit is available for public access.
