Four months after the Trump administration canceled a multibillion-dollar grant program for disaster protection, the administration says in a court document that it did not actually cancel the program despite previous statements.
The document startled state and local officials and created new uncertainty about the administration’s plans for helping communities with hurricanes, floods and other disasters.
President Donald Trump has vowed to weaken the Federal Emergency Management Agency and give states more responsibility for disaster recovery but has provided no details.
In April, the administration canceled the popular grant program, called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities or BRIC, and it has removed all $4.1 billion from the BRIC account. States have used previous BRIC allocations for projects such as elevating coastal homes to prevent flood damage.
