ICYMI: Trump Administration's Deadly Delay of Disaster Prevention Funding Puts Rural Communities at Risk

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Communities across the country remain vulnerable to catastrophic flooding, wildfires, and extreme weather as the Trump administration continues to withhold billions of dollars in disaster preparedness funding that Congress already appropriated. New reporting from NPR revealed yesterday that towns like Duryea, Pennsylvania — where a critical levee needs urgent upgrades to protect 5,000 residents from increasingly severe floods — have been left waiting for over a year while FEMA sits on funds local governments desperately need.

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which Trump himself signed into law in 2018, was canceled by his administration last year under the guise of eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse." The decision sparked outrage from local and state officials nationwide. After 20 states sued the administration, a federal judge ordered FEMA to reinstate the program — but it remains uncertain when money will actually reach communities, and the agency's massive workforce cuts threaten to create significant administrative delays.

"The Trump administration is playing political games with disaster preparedness while communities face growing climate threats. Investing in infrastructure before disasters happen saves lives and reduces costs, yet the Trump administration has spent over a year blocking funds that Congress already approved," said Sabotaging Our Safety Council Member Davante Lewis. "Each day this funding is delayed is another day that towns like Duryea remain dangerously exposed to disasters we know are coming."

Read more below. 

NPR: Trump administration cuts turned rural towns into sitting ducks for disasters

“Under the first Trump administration, the federal government significantly stepped up its support for such communities. In 2018, President Trump signed a bill that made more money available for everything from flood walls to wildfire protection. FEMA was in charge of disbursing the money, and an agency report the following year said the investment would "save lives, reduce disaster suffering, and decrease disaster costs at all levels."

Indeed, research shows that improving infrastructure before disasters happen can reduce damage.

That 2018 FEMA program, called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, was extremely popular. Applications outstripped available funding every year, even after the Biden administration significantly increased the pot of money.

But shortly after taking office last year, the Trump administration canceled the program, saying it was "eliminating waste, fraud and abuse." The federal government stopped disbursing billions of dollars that local communities had already been promised for projects, and also stopped processing new applications for money.

That led to an outcry from local and state officials around the country, including in places that voted heavily for President Trump, such as Luzerne County, Pa. Lawmakers including Rep. Bresnahan introduced multiple bills that sought to force FEMA to restart the program, and 20 states sued the administration over the program's cancellation.

Late last year, a federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate the program, although it's unclear when money will start flowing again. In the past, it's taken a year or more for FEMA to review applications and make a decision about whether to fund specific projects, and under the Trump administration the agency has lost thousands of employees, which could potentially lead to even more administrative delays.”

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