Attorney General Kris Mayes and a coalition of 23 states secured a court order on Mar. 9 requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reverse the termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC) and restore billions in funding for disaster mitigation projects.
The ruling is significant because it compels FEMA to resume providing resources that help communities prepare for natural disasters, potentially saving lives and reducing recovery costs. The BRIC program has been a key source of support for infrastructure improvements aimed at preventing damage from future disasters.
Mayes said, “The Trump Administration could have followed the law and kept communities safe. Instead, they illegally terminated a program that saves lives and saves taxpayers money, forcing states to spend months in court fighting a battle that never needed to happen.” She added, “Every dollar invested in disaster mitigation before a crisis strikes saves many more in recovery costs after one hits. Today’s order is a reminder that the law is not optional – even for the federal government.”
The legal dispute began when Mayes and other attorneys general filed suit on July 16, 2025, after FEMA ended its BRIC program. This action delayed or canceled hundreds of mitigation projects nationwide. A December court decision found FEMA’s termination unlawful and ordered restoration of the program. When there was no indication of compliance by February 2026, the coalition sought enforcement from the District of Massachusetts, which granted their request with this latest order.
Under the new order, FEMA must make pre-disaster mitigation funds available as required by law, update states on current BRIC project statuses, file status reports with the court about compliance actions, and issue a fiscal year 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity within three weeks. Over four years, nearly 2,000 projects have received about $4.5 billion through BRIC funding.
Mayes was joined by attorneys general from several other states as well as governors from Pennsylvania and Kentucky in securing this outcome.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office addresses issues such as elder abuse, civil rights violations, unsolved crimes through its cold case unit, participates in federal lawsuits including those related to fair housing and social media accountability measures according to its official website. The office serves as Arizona’s chief legal entity offering advocacy and protection statewide according to its official website. Kris Mayes is Arizona’s 27th attorney general and the first mother to hold this position according to the official website.
