Eliminating the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program is short-sighted, U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ) said.
Larsen, the ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Stanton, the ranking member of the subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, called out the administration of President Donald Trump for eliminating the BRIC program, and clawing back grants already promised to the states. The lawmakers said the administration’s actions leave the American people more vulnerable to natural disasters.
“Investing in disaster resilience saves lives and taxpayer money,” Larsen said. “Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, and by eliminating funding to build resiliency the Trump Administration has just made it much more difficult for communities to properly prepare. FEMA must reverse its reckless decision because we know mitigation works.”
The BRIC program provides state, local and territorial governments and Tribal Nations with the ability to improve their capacity to prepare for natural disasters and reduce hazard risks. Grants provided to states range from $1.1 billion for California to $36.5 million in Nebraska, $61 million in Arizona and $822,000 in Wyoming.
“Donald Trump is robbing Arizona communities of more than $60 million to protect families from wildfires, flash flooding, extreme heat and prolonged drought,” Stanton said. “The Trump Administration wants to claim FEMA is more concerned with climate change than responding to natural disasters? Emergency managers know the two are inseparable. BRIC grants are a small up-front investment in resilience to save lives and taxpayer dollars long-term. I can’t imagine a more self-defeating move.”