Trump administration's plan to re-distribute funds earmarked for disaster prevention prohibited by federal court decision.
BRIC Program Cancellation Leaves Disaster Resilience Projects Unfunded
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, designed to protect communities against natural disasters, has been effectively ended, with all grants from 2020 to 2023 that have not yet been distributed being canceled. This decision, made by the federal government in April 2025, has left numerous projects, including those selected for BRIC funding, unfunded or stalled.
The cancellation followed the Trump administration's move to reallocate $4.1 billion from the BRIC account to a federal disaster recovery fund. A federal judge, Richard G. Stearns in Boston, blocked this reallocation in response to a lawsuit brought by Massachusetts and other states, arguing that FEMA lacked the authority to end the BRIC program and redirect the funds.
Despite the judge's intervention, FEMA has not reversed the cancellation or resumed BRIC funding, and no new grants under BRIC are being awarded. This has resulted in a practical effect where the BRIC program is no longer active and has ceased financial support for many disaster resilience projects as of mid-2025.
The states, including Massachusetts, have argued that the threat of losing the funding has put numerous projects at risk of being cancelled, delayed, or downsized. U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns wrote that there is an inherent public interest in ensuring the government follows the law.
The BRIC program has provided grants for various disaster management projects, including strengthening electrical grids, constructing levees for flood protection, and relocating vulnerable water treatment facilities. Many of these projects are in rural communities.
Initially, FEMA announced it was ending the program, but later said it was evaluating it. The FEMA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The states' lawsuit says any attempt to redirect the funds would run afoul of the Constitution.
Stearns noted that FEMA had cancelled new funding opportunities and told stakeholders they shouldn't expect any unobligated funding. Ending the program would be highly imprudent, according to the states. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell stated that she would continue fighting to make sure "communities can adequately prepare for natural disasters."
Nicole O'Connor, a lawyer for the government, argued at a hearing in July that the funds can be used both for disaster recovery and disaster prevention and that FEMA should have discretion to use the money how it sees fit. However, Judge Stearns was not convinced Congress had given FEMA any discretion to redirect the funds.
Stearns stated that an injunction on the use of the funds could hamper the administration's ability to respond to major disasters, but the administration could come back to him to release funding should a disaster of "unprecedented proportions" occur. Despite this provision, the practical effect is that the BRIC program is no longer active and has ceased financial support for many disaster resilience projects as of mid-2025.
- The cancellation of the BRIC program by the federal government in 2025 has disrupted politics in Seattle and other cities, as numerous policy-and-legislation discussions are centered around finding alternative sources of funding for stalled disaster resilience projects.
- The general news landscape has been buzzing with stories about the BRIC program, not just focusing on the cancellation, but also on the ongoing legal battles between the states and the federal government, particularly in Seattle, over the redistribution of funds intended for disaster resilience projects.
- The Seattle government has been navigating challenging waters in its politics, given the sudden halt in funding for disaster resilience projects due to the cancellation of the BRIC program by the federal government, which has resulted in a review of policy-and-legislation involving such projects.
