North Carolina authorities touring essential installations as the FEMA lawsuit progresses
In a recent turn of events, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, established during President Trump's first term, has found itself in the midst of controversy. The program, which aims to provide funds for disaster preparedness projects, has been terminated for several projects, including the Hillsborough River Pumping Station in North Carolina's Piedmont region.
The Hillsborough River Pumping Station was allocated an estimated $7 million to move its facility away from a floodplain. However, the termination of BRIC funds has left the project seeking alternative funding sources. The termination of BRIC funds and the removal of the Flood Mitigation Assistance program notice were reported in various news articles.
State Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, has taken legal action against FEMA, claiming that the cancellation of these funds is illegal. Jackson argues that the termination violates the law and is seeking to get the funds back for North Carolina.
FEMA's decision to terminate the BRIC program was described by a FEMA official as a move to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs, more concerned with climate change than helping Americans affected by natural disasters. However, the program's recent funding cycle shows it continues to operate and distribute funds in the current fiscal year, supported partly by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The BRIC program has been a subject of criticism, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stating that the long-term goal is to eliminate FEMA in its entirety. A memo by FEMA acting administrator Cameron Hamilton suggests that the BRIC grants have not increased the level of hazard mitigation as much as desired and may supplant state, local, tribal, and territorial capital investment planning.
In response, Hamilton announced a new direction for the BRIC Program, stating that FEMA will evaluate all existing BRIC grants, their priorities, scope, and implementation timelines. This evaluation is intended to comply with a March 19 executive order shifting the financial burden of disaster preparedness from the federal government to state governments.
The Flood Mitigation Assistance program is another agency program that provides grants for flood mitigation projects. Around the same time, FEMA also removed a notice announcing $600 million in grants through the Flood Mitigation Assistance program.
The current status of FEMA's BRIC program is that it remains active and continues to receive substantial funding requests, despite a recent cancellation attempt by FEMA in April 2025. As of late July 2025, FEMA received a record-setting 1,233 subapplications requesting over $5.6 billion for BRIC funding, while only making $1 billion available for this cycle, indicating high demand and ongoing support for the program.
The conflicting information reflects a partial rollback or reconsideration, but BRIC remains a major federal resilience grant program at this time. The legal battle between State Attorney General Jeff Jackson and FEMA is expected to shed more light on the future of the BRIC program.
- In the realm of environmental science, the Hillsborough River Pumping Station project, seeking alternative funding sources due to the termination of BRIC funds, aims to move its facility away from a floodplain.
- The termination of the BRIC program, raised for its ineffectiveness according to a FEMA official, has sparked criticism, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem advocating for the eventual elimination of FEMA altogether.
- Amid this controversy, crime-and-justice has taken center stage with State Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, taking legal action against FEMA, arguing the termination of the BRIC funds to be illegal and seeking to restore them for North Carolina.
- General news outlets have reported on the removal of the Flood Mitigation Assistance program notice, which, like the BRIC program, provides funds for disaster preparedness projects, and the cancellation of around $600 million in grants through this program.
- The ongoing dispute over the BRIC program, exemplified by the legal battle between Jackson and FEMA, may influence future policy-and-legislation regarding climate-change-related projects and disaster preparedness, as well as the role of the federal government in these initiatives.
