A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from redirecting billions intended for disaster preparedness work nationwide, including in Washington state.
The program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, was created during President Donald Trump’s first term and was intended to help states, local and territorial governments and tribal nations develop plans and harden infrastructure to leave them better prepared for disasters.
These disasters — flooding, wildfires and hurricanes, among others — are exacerbated by climate change.
FEMA had selected nearly 2,000 projects to receive about $4.5 billion over the past four years.
Washington was expecting $182 million for 27 projects. The funds were destined for everything from protecting thousands of properties vulnerable to flooding in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, to keeping the electricity on for hospitals and school districts in Klickitat County during wildfires and severe weather.
The judge this week granted an order barring the federal government from spending the funds for other purposes until the court issues a final judgment.
In April, the Trump administration announced it was ending the program, calling it “wasteful and ineffective” in a news release that appears to have been removed from the agency’s website. FEMA said in a later court filing that it was evaluating the program.
The coalition of attorneys general from 20 states, led by Washington and Massachusetts, filed a lawsuit in July seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the Trump administration from spending the congressionally appropriated funds for other purposes and to reverse the termination of the program.
They argued FEMA’s termination of the program violated Congress’s decision to fund it, noting that the executive branch has no lawful authority to refuse to spend funds appropriated by Congress.
Funding from the program for flood protection in Aberdeen and Hoquiam would reduce construction and insurance costs and leave “more than $5 million per year in residents’ pockets,” the lawsuit states.
In rural Klickitat County, the lawsuit states, the funding would support a solar and battery microgrid that could provide an emergency power source for medical care and a sheltering place for more than 9,000 residents frequently at risk of losing power.
Studies have shown, according to the lawsuit, that each dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of $6 in post-disaster costs, with some spending saving even more.
“FEMA’s termination of this bipartisan program defies both law and logic,” said Washington Attorney General Nick Brown in a statement. “Congress created this fund because America’s towns are already struggling with mounting challenges from climate change.”
Reporting from The Associated Press was included in this story.
