Campbell leads way in suing Trump over climate-change cuts
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell is leading a group of other Democrats in suing the Trump administration over cuts to federal funding for climate change resiliency projects.
Filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, the lawsuit alleges the move by Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton to unilaterally end congressionally approved funding from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program was “illegal” and violates the separation of powers doctrine.
In the 68-page complaint, the AG said the impact of FEMA’s decision to choke off the funding has been “devastating” for states and local governments across the country who they said “are being forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of mitigation projects depending on this funding.”
“Projects that have been in development for years, and in which communities have invested millions of dollars for planning, permitting, and environmental review are now threatened,” they wrote. “And in the meantime, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.”
The Trump administration says the move is part of broader efforts to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse” in federal funding. They say the move will save taxpayers’ money while improving how the agency delivers aid during emergencies.
“The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program,” the agency said in a recent statement. “It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.”
In April, the Trump administration announced it was cancelling the program, which has been used by states and local governments to fund projects designed to prepare for disasters like flooding, tornadoes and fires that are prompted by climate change.
FEMA said it was also cancelling applications for funding from 2020 to 2023 and demanding that money not already used be returned to the federal government.
The program had about $1 billion in funding in the pipeline as part of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021. Roughly $133 million has already been distributed to 450 applicants, according to FEMA.
Overall, Massachusetts will lose $90 million in FEMA funding earmarked for regional planning boards and nearly two dozen communities, including $320,000 for Rockport’s redesign of the Thatcher Road corridor and $8,437 for a project to update the town’s building codes. FEMA also yanked $50,250 meant to be used for Newburyport to update its drinking water regulations.
To date, FEMA has distributed more than $5 billion in grants through the BRIC program, which was created during the first Trump administration.
Campbell, who is “co-leading” the lawsuit with Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, said in the wake of devastating flooding in Texas and other states, “it’s clear just how critical federal resources are in helping states prepare for and respond to natural disasters.”
“By abruptly and unlawfully shutting down the BRIC program, this administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents and, in the event of disaster, save lives,” she said in a statement.
Members of the state’s congressional delegation wrote to FEMA earlier this year urging the agency to reconsider the cuts. They said the funding is crucial to help coastal communities update infrastructure and mitigate threats from sea-level rise, flooding, and storm surge.
“Without adequate investment in disaster mitigation, we risk losing more lives, increasing economic losses, and straining already overburdened emergency response systems,” the lawmakers wrote.
Trump has suggested his administration may “phase out” FEMA after the current hurricane season to shift more responsibility to individual states to respond to disasters. The agency, created in 1979 by then-President Jimmy Carter — has reportedly seen departures of thousands of top officials since Trump took office.
The lawsuit is one of about 20 which Campbell has initiated or signed onto as Massachusetts attorney General, since Trump returned to the White House in January. The Democrat’s legal challenges range from Trump’s immigration policies and cuts in federal funding for states, to his efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.