Ending FEMA's largest disaster-preparedness program without Congress

What happened

BRIC was launched in 2018 under the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to shift federal effort toward protecting communities before a disaster instead of paying to rebuild afterward. According to the states' lawsuit, FEMA had approved about $4.5 billion in grants for nearly 2,000 projects over the previous four years, mostly in coastal states. Twenty states, most of them led by Democrats, sued, saying projects that took years to develop, and in which communities had invested millions of dollars in planning and permits, were now at risk. Before his final ruling, the judge blocked FEMA from diverting more than $4 billion set aside for BRIC to other purposes.

Where it stands

On Dec. 11, 2025, Judge Richard Stearns ruled that the administration had no authority to end the program, calling the move an 'unlawful executive encroachment' on Congress's power to appropriate money, and ordered FEMA to reverse the termination. On Feb. 17, 2026, the states told the court those steps had not been taken. On March 6, 2026, Stearns found FEMA had given no indication that it had complied and ordered it to take concrete steps within 14 days, including making pre-disaster mitigation funds available, telling states where their projects stand and filing status reports with the court.

The administration's side

FEMA called the program wasteful and politicized when it ended it. After the March 2026 order, a FEMA spokesperson said the agency and Homeland Security are 'fully complying with all court orders' on BRIC funding and remain committed to helping states and communities prepare.

Sources

• Al Jazeera
• Courthouse News