A federal judge last week ordered the Trump administration to restore millions in disaster mitigation funds previously awarded for projects across the country, including dozens in North Carolina.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns last Friday granted a motion to force the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reinstate its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program.
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Stearns is the same judge who, on Dec. 11, 2025, sided with North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 19 other state attorneys general, declaring FEMA unlawfully terminated the BRIC program.
Roughly $200 million had already been awarded to North Carolina communities, including those in coastal counties, for projects aimed at reducing and preventing storm damage, when the Trump administration decided to axe BRIC.
Despite Stearns’ issuance of an immediate, permanent injunction restoring BRIC, the administration has yet to comply and release the funds.
Jackson joined other attorneys general in heading back to court to ask the judge to force FEMA to comply.
“FEMA tried to cancel $200 million for North Carolina,” Jackson stated in a March 6 release. “We took them to court, we won, and then they defied the court order and refused to pay. So we just took them back to court – and won again. FEMA has 14 days to show the court they are complying. The clock is ticking, and we are ready to do this again if necessary.”
Supporter Spotlight
FEMA has 14 days from the time of the judge’s order to identify all selected, phased, and pending BRIC projects, and provide the steps the agency must take to reverse the termination of the program and provide a timeline to the states for existing project funding. The agency has also been ordered to open new grant applications within 21 days of the March 6 ruling.
