Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is joining a coalition of 20 states in suing the Trump Administration for cutting FEMA preparedness funding.
The attorneys general claim the administration illegally shut down the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities [[ BRIC ]] program which has provided resources to prepare for natural disasters.
The coalition says FEMA's decision to abruptly terminate the BRIC program is in direct violation of Congress's decision to fund it.
“There’s no denying that Rhode Island is particularly susceptible to the ever-increasing effects of climate change, which is why we need to stay ahead of the curve on mitigating risk,” said Attorney General Neronha. “The President understands that he and his Administration do not have the power to unilaterally withhold Congressionally allocated funding to the states, and yet here we are again. Over the past six months, Democratic attorneys general from across the nation have sued to claw back rightfully allocated funds for everything from education and infrastructure to public health and emergency management. It’s high time we seriously ask ourselves if this is a federal government for the people, or for itself. Anyone who’s paying attention already knows the answer.”
They say the Executive Branch has no lawful authority to unilaterally refuse to spend funds that have been appropriated by Congress.
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