FEMA Says It Has Restored $1 Billion to a Critical Disaster Resilience Program

The Trump administration says it has restored a major grant program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, weeks after a federal judge said the government was flouting court orders.

FEMA announced Wednesday that it’s making $1 billion in federal funding available to states, territories, Tribal Nations, and local governments through its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The Trump administration retracted grants through the disaster resilience program last year, calling the program “wasteful.” The BRIC program was established during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The restoration of the program marks one of the first major changes since former Sen. Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as Secretary of Homeland Security earlier this week.

“When done correctly, mitigation activities save lives and reduce the cost of future disasters,” acting deputy FEMA Administrator Karen S. Evans said in a statement. “That’s why President Trump signed the BRIC program into law during his first administration. Under his leadership once again, the program is now even better. For this new funding opportunity, FEMA has reduced bureaucratic hurdles, focused funding on major infrastructure projects and shifted responsibilities to the states, reducing federal overreach.”

Previous acting administrator Cameron Hamilton canceled the BRIC program in April 2025, halting roughly $3.6 billion worth of projects to protect infrastructure, which disproportionately affected counties that supported Trump in 2024.

A federal judge blocked plans to cancel the program in August and then ordered FEMA to restore it after 20 blue states sued the Trump administration over it. As recently as March 6, the same judge urged FEMA to comply with his ruling.