TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined a 20-state coalition in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the termination of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which funds disaster mitigation projects nationwide.
Filed Tuesday, the suit challenges what it calls an illegal shutdown of the BRIC program, which was created to help communities prepare for natural disasters before they occur. The states allege the decision violates multiple federal laws, including congressional spending authority and the Administrative Procedures Act.
“Now the Trump Administration is attempting to illegally shut down BRIC, making it much harder for communities across our state to protect themselves against future extreme weather events,” said Platkin.
FEMA had allocated approximately $4.5 billion to nearly 2,000 projects through BRIC over the past four years, including efforts in New Jersey such as flood mitigation in the Meadowlands and infrastructure protection in Jersey City and Port Newark. According to the complaint, the abrupt cancellation has already forced the delay or cancellation of hundreds of projects nationwide.
The coalition also argues the termination order is invalid because it was issued by Cameron Hamilton, who they claim was unlawfully acting as FEMA Administrator without Senate confirmation.
The lawsuit seeks both a preliminary injunction to stop the redirection of BRIC funds and a permanent injunction to reinstate the program and resume funding to impacted communities.