A federal judge sided with Democratic state attorneys general Tuesday and ordered the Trump administration to preserve billions of dollars it pulled from a canceled disaster program that the Democrats are trying to restore.
The judge rejected the Trump administration’s argument that it had not actually canceled the program, which has given states and communities money to protect against floods, storms and other disasters.
Judge Richard Stearns’ preliminary injunction prevents the administration from spending the $4.1 billion it removed from the grant program while he decides whether the administration’s cancellation was legal.
The program, called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, has funded hundreds of disaster-protection projects since its creation in 2020, such as elevating coastal homes to prevent flooding. During his first term, President Donald Trump signed a law that created BRIC within the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
