Summary
A federal judge ruled that President Trump's administration acted unlawfully when it ended a program meant to help communities prepare for natural disasters. The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program aims to reduce risks and enhance recovery efforts from disasters. The decision followed a lawsuit from 20 states.
Key Facts
- A federal judge found President Trump's administration unlawfully ended the BRIC program.
- The BRIC program is designed to help communities prepare for natural disasters.
- US District Judge Richard Stearns issued the ruling.
- 20 states, mostly Democratic-led, filed a lawsuit against ending the program.
- Judge Stearns stated the action was an unlawful executive move that should be decided by Congress.
- FEMA had approved about $4.5 billion in grants for almost 2,000 projects with BRIC.
- The program focuses on preventing disaster impacts, especially important as climate change increases severe weather events.
- President Trump initially wanted to end FEMA but instead plans to reform it after receiving pushback from lawmakers.
