WA AG Brown wins case forcing FEMA to pay back millions in disaster funds

FEMA sends hurricane warning after federal cuts

This week marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast. Now, some current and former FEMA employees warn we could see a similar catastrophe following federal cuts to disaster response.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced that a court order was secured, requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to pay back billions in disaster mitigation funding cut last year.

Timeline:

In April 2025, amid sweeping funding and department cuts under the Trump Administration, FEMA announced it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program.

BRIC has been around for 30 years, with the aim of providing funding to local and regional jurisdictions to build up infrastructure ahead of possible natural disasters, rather than the funding coming after a disaster has already hit.

After the program was canceled, more than $150 million in some two-dozen BRIC projects were left in free-fall.

On July 16, 2025, Nick Brown co-led a multi-state coalition suing the Trump Administration to restore the BRIC Program.

The coalition won their case on Dec. 11, 2025, with the court declaring that terminating a Congress-mandated program was unlawful, and that FEMA must promptly reverse the termination and restore funding.

"The judge's order in this case was unequivocal: FEMA must restore the BRIC program. Communities across Washington are counting on these dollars for vital disaster mitigation projects," said Brown. "We will keep fighting to make sure FEMA stops wasting time and carries out the program as Congress intended."

What's next:

According to the Attorney General's Office, FEMA did not appear to be taking steps to follow that court order, so the coalition filed a motion in the District of Massachusetts to enforce it.

On Friday, the court granted that request, ordering FEMA to make those funds available, communicate current BRIC projects, and document steps outlining actions taken to comply with the order.

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