Edwards, colleagues lead bipartisan, bicameral effort calling on DHS to reinstate disaster mitigation program

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) today led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The following are co-leading this letter: Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Congressman Ed Case (HI-01).

The letter emphasized the urgent need to continue investing in pre-disaster mitigation and community resilience.

"The BRIC program is a proven, cost-effective tool that helps communities prepare for and withstand natural disasters,"the lawmakers said. "Rolling back this vital funding puts lives, infrastructure, and taxpayer dollars at greater risk."

Studies show that for every dollar invested in disaster mitigation, up to $18 is saved in disaster response and recovery. Edwards and his colleagues highlighted that BRIC not only supports urban areas but also plays a vital role in helping Tribal Nations and rural communities safeguard infrastructure and preserve local sovereignty.

They also called on the administration to work with Congress to improve the program's accessibility and efficiency assuring smaller jurisdictions and underserved communities can benefit equally from resilience investments.

"We can and must improve the grant process to ensure fairness and transparency, but halting BRIC entirely is not the answer,"the lawmakers concluded. "Our communities depend on this funding to weather future storms."

Read the full letter here.