FEMA Canceled A Natural Disaster Prep Program CA Depends On. Now, CA Is Suing

California is suing FEMA over the termination of a federal program that helped mitigate the risks and costs of natural disasters all across the country.

The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joining a coalition of 19 other states trying to get FEMA to reverse its decision to end the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program.

Bonta says the actions taken by FEMA were illegal and put states like California, the biggest beneficiary of the BRIC grant program, "uniquely" at risk.

“Nearly thirty years ago, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress recognized a simple fact: Preparing for disasters, instead of just reacting to them, saves money and lives,” Attorney General Bonta said in a statement Wednesday. "Yet in the name of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, President Trump and his lackeys have once again jeopardized public safety."

The coastal city of Rancho Palos Verdes applied for the BRIC grant in 2023, hoping to fund a $32.9 million project that would reduce landslides across the peninsula. The city's application was selected by FEMA, according to the lawsuit. But the Rancho Palos Verdes never saw any of the money.

"With this project, the (Rancho Palos Verdes) could take important steps to stop or slow this ongoing movement," the lawsuit states. "But without this project, this landslide movement will continue to threaten critical infrastructure, damage homes and property, and endanger lives. The landslide movement is irreversible after it occurs."

California cities and areas, such as Sacramento and Kern County, have found themselves in a similar situation. City officials submitted applications for projects that would help protect community members and eliminate risks associated with flooding and earthquakes.

In Kern County's case, city officials were looking to seismically retrofit a district hospital, Bonta said. Now, without the funding to do so, the hospital may soon close, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to seek acute care and emergency services at hospitals over two hours away.

The decision to end the BRIC program came after the Trump Administration appointed Cameron Hamilton as FEMA's new administrator — an act that Bonta has called unlawful.

Bonta said Hamilton nor his successor, David Richardson, were lawfully appointed or qualified to run FEMA as per the Constitution’s Appointment Clause and statutory requirements. The appointment clause requires officers appointed by the President to be approved by the Senate. Hamilton and Richardson were not nominated or confirmed by the Senate.

In April, FEMA announced it was ending the BRIC program, saying it was an example of a wasteful and ineffective service offered by the federal agency. The federal agency also claimed the program had become too politicized.

But Bonta said that the termination of the program conflicts with a Congressional decision to keep providing funding toward BRIC and that FEMA has violated the U.S. Constitution and Congress’s "power of the purse."

"We’re taking them to court – not because we want to, but because we have to," Bonta said. "As we continue to build a climate resilient California, we deserve a federal government that is a partner, not a roadblock in our efforts – and that’s exactly what Congress intended.”