MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul today secured a preliminary injunction preserving billions of dollars in disaster mitigation funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, and blocking the Trump Administration from spending those funds on other purposes.
“Resources that are meant to help communities prepare to stay safe should be used for that purpose,” said AG Kaul. “The Trump administration should not—and cannot lawfully—redirect this funding.”
FEMA’s abrupt effort to cancel the BRIC program had resulted in the cancellation of dozens of projects across Wisconsin, including tornado safe rooms in Grant County and flood protection infrastructure along the Kickapoo River. Today’s court order prevents the Trump administration from redirecting BRIC funds to other purposes while the case proceeds.
The court found that the plaintiff States were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims regarding FEMA’s unlawful rollback of the BRIC program.
Joining AG Kaul in filing this lawsuit were attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
View this press release on the DOJ website here.
