A federal judge is prodding the Trump administration to more quickly restore the nation’s largest disaster preparedness program.
The Friday order comes after more than 20 Democratic-led states asked the court to force the Federal Emergency Management Agency to comply with a December court order to resurrect the multibillion-dollar Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The grant program helps states protect against potential damage from natural disasters.
Judge Richard Stearns of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts said he appreciated the “tangible steps” FEMA has taken so far, including ensuring that money set aside for the BRIC program remains in a disaster mitigation account.
But the Clinton appointee sided with the states who complained in February that the Trump administration had not fully complied with Stearns’ Dec. 11 order, despite promising to do so in several emails.
