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Emergency preparedness

Connecticut Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Disaster Mitigation Funding Cuts

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has led a coalition of 20 states in suing the Trump administration over its decision to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, a critical disaster mitigation funding source. The BRIC program has provided communities with resources to proactively fortify their infrastructure against natural disasters, protecting property, saving lives, and reducing post-disaster costs. The Trump administration's cancellation of the program threatens the safety and resilience of communities across the country, including in Connecticut, where tens of millions of dollars in promised FEMA funds have been impacted.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration's decision to terminate the FEMA BRIC program directly violates Congress's decision to fund it, as stated in the law passed in response to Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.
  • The BRIC program is a critical disaster mitigation effort, which supports projects such as constructing evacuation shelters, flood walls, and safeguarding utility grids against wildfires.
  • A recent study found that every dollar FEMA spends on mitigation saves an average of six dollars in post-disaster costs, highlighting the program's cost-effectiveness.
  • Communities across the country, including in Connecticut, have investments worth tens of millions of dollars in FEMA-BRIC funding that have been threatened by the program's termination.
  • The cancellation of the BRIC program imperils not just the funding that had been awarded and now canceled, but future awards that Connecticut would have expected to receive, with estimated total canceled funds exceeding $84 million.
  • The coalition argues that shutting down the BRIC program violates Separation of Powers, the Administrative Procedures Act, and the Appointments Clause, as the acting FEMA Administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was never appointed by the President or confirmed by the Senate.
  • The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent the Trump administration from spending BRIC funds on other purposes and a permanent injunction to reverse the termination of the BRIC program and restore critical funds to the communities relying on them.

Statistics:

  • Over the past four years, FEMA has selected nearly 2,000 projects to receive roughly $4.5 billion in BRIC funding nationwide.
  • Connecticut has received tens of millions of dollars in FEMA-BRIC funding since 2020 alone to address flooding risks and storm surge hazards.
  • Total canceled funds in Connecticut are estimated to exceed $84 million, including:

+ $42 million for the Resilient Bridgeport Coastal Flood Defense System to address recurrent flooding and coastal storm surges affecting the city of Bridgeport's South End.

+ $900,000 in funds for the ongoing City of Stamford Seawall Improvement Project.

+ $25 million for the ongoing New Haven Inland and Coastal Resiliency Project to address flooding, among other critical efforts.

Sources:

  • [Attorney General William Tong's Press Release, July 16, 2023]
  • [FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program]
  • [Study: "The Cost-Effectiveness of Disaster Mitigation" (unspecified publication date)]
  • [Congressional Law: "FEMA's Response to Hurricane Katrina and its Aftermath"]
  • [Coalition of 20 States' Lawsuit Complaint]

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