A coalition of 20 U.S. states, led by Massachusetts and Washington, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to stop the cancellation of a key federal disaster preparedness initiative. The states argue that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acted unlawfully in April when it terminated the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports critical infrastructure upgrades aimed at protecting communities from natural disasters.

Filed in Boston federal court, the lawsuit contends that FEMA, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, lacks the authority to cancel a program that was both approved and funded by Congress. “By unilaterally shutting down FEMA’s flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of powers principles,” the filing states.

Established in 2018, BRIC was designed to modernize federal disaster mitigation efforts. It covers up to 75% of infrastructure project costs—90% for rural areas—and has funded nearly $4.5 billion across approximately 2,000 projects. These include flood walls, evacuation shelters, and improvements to roads and bridges, particularly in disaster-prone coastal states.

The lawsuit comes amid renewed scrutiny of FEMA’s capabilities following its criticized response to devastating floods in Texas earlier this month. FEMA has defended its decision to terminate BRIC, calling the program “wasteful, ineffective, and politicized.”

As of now, neither FEMA nor the White House has commented on the legal action. The case marks a high-profile challenge to executive authority and highlights ongoing tensions over federal disaster management strategy in an era of escalating climate threats.