Attorney General Tong Asks Court to Enforce Order Preventing Trump Administration from Unlawfully Cutting Billions in Disaster Preparedness Funding

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02/17/2026

Attorney General Tong Asks Court to Enforce Order Preventing Trump Administration from Unlawfully Cutting Billions in Disaster Preparedness Funding

Motion Asks Court to Require FEMA to Restore Critical Disaster Resilience Program and Make Billions in Funding Available to the Communities Relying on Them

(Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 23 states today filed a motion asking the District Court of Massachusetts to enforce its December 11, 2025 order that prohibited the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from terminating the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC) and directed the agency to promptly take all steps necessary to reverse the termination.

For the past 30 years, the BRIC program has provided communities across the nation with resources to proactively fortify their infrastructure against natural disasters. By focusing on mitigation and community resilience, the program has saved lives, reduced injury, protected property, and saved money that would have otherwise been spent on post-disaster costs.

"Court orders are not optional. Trump tried to unilaterally dismantle and defund our ability to prevent and prepare for natural disasters. We sued, we won, and now the Trump Administration is once again ignoring the law. We're heading back to court today to protect our ability to save lives and fortify our communities," said Attorney General Tong.

On July 16, 2025, Attorney General Tong and the coalition filed a lawsuit to prevent FEMA from terminating its BRIC program - an action which had already delayed, scaled back, and cancelled hundreds of mitigation projects across the country depending on this funding. On December 11, 2025, the coalition won their case. The court declared the termination of this congressionally mandated program unlawful and ordered FEMA to promptly take all steps necessary to reverse the termination.

Over two months have passed and the federal government has offered no indication that they have complied with the court order. FEMA's regional offices lack information about whether and when it will resume the BRIC program, and some have indicated that FEMA is taking a "wait and see" approach-contrary to the clear terms of the court's order. During this time, the federal government has not identified any concrete steps that it has taken to reverse the BRIC termination.

Attorney General Tong and the coalition are asking the court to enforce the December 11 order by requiring the federal government to make pre-disaster mitigation funds available as required by statute, communicate the status and next steps for current BRIC projects to the states, communicate the reversal of the BRIC termination to all relevant stakeholders, and file status reports with the court outlining any actions taken or planned to comply with the order.

Over the past four years, FEMA has selected nearly 2,000 projects to receive roughly $4.5 billion in BRIC funding nationwide. Connecticut has received tens of millions of dollars in FEMA-BRIC funding since 2020 alone to address flooding risks and storm surge hazards, and more. The cancellation of the BRIC program imperiled not just the funding that had been awarded and now cancelled, but future awards that Connecticut expects to receive. Total cancelled funds in Connecticut had been estimated to exceed $84 million, including $42 million for the Resilient Bridgeport Coastal Flood Defense System to address recurrent flooding and coastal storm surges affecting the city of Bridgeport's South End, which has been repeatedly impacted by major storm events. Also cancelled included $900,000 in funds for the ongoing City of Stamford Seawall Improvement Project. The existing seawall is operating beyond its useful life and threatens wastewater infrastructure, properties and lives. Also impacted was $25 million for the ongoing New Haven Inland and Coastal Resiliency Project to address flooding, among other critical efforts.

Joining Attorney General Tong in filing this motion are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington, and the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318 [email protected]

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