FEMA Reinstates BRIC Program After Court Orders Restoration

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reopened applications for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program on March 25, 2026, making $1 billion available for disaster preparedness. The move follows orders from U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns and lawsuits from a coalition of 22 Democratic-led states and North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, who argued that the Trump administration's April 2025 cancellation of the program was unlawful.

While restoring the funding, FEMA introduced new rules to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and shift more disaster management responsibility to state and local governments. Acting FEMA chief Karen S. Evans stated the updated program focuses on major infrastructure projects that are ready to implement. However, the agency eliminated funding for hazard mitigation planning and non-financial technical assistance, a shift that critics and local officials in areas like Duryea, Pennsylvania, argue leaves smaller communities without the resources to apply for critical aid.

In addition to the BRIC restart, FEMA awarded Maryland over $823,000 as part of a $250 million national flood mitigation initiative. Simultaneously, the United States Environmental Protection Agency provided $39 million to Chesapeake Bay watershed states for environmental restoration. Despite these awards, Maryland Governor Wes Moore criticized the administration for politicizing disaster relief, citing the prior denial of disaster declarations for flooding in Western Maryland.