Trump administration sued by 20 states over FEMA disaster program cancelation

The Trump administration is being sued by 20 states who are seeking to block the cancelation of a grant program that helped protect against potential natural disasters.The big picture: "By unilaterally shutting down FEMA's flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of powers principles," says the lawsuit that was filed in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday on the program, which has helped states, local and territorial governments and tribal nations work to reduce their hazard risk.Driving the news: FEMA announced in April that it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program and canceling all BRIC applications from fiscal years 2020-23.The post announcing the cuts that appears to have since been removed was titled, "FEMA Ends Wasteful, Politicized Grant Program, Returning Agency to Core Mission of Helping Americans Recovering From Natural Disasters."The suit led by Washington and Massachusetts argues that by "refusing to spend funds Congress directed toward BRIC or trying to spend them on other programs," the administration had violated the Constitution and unlawfully intruded on Congress' "power of the purse."Zoom in: "The impact of the shutdown has been devastating. Communities across the country are being forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of mitigation projects depending on this funding," the states argue in the suit.Projects that have been in development for years, and in which communities have invested millions of dollars for planning, permitting, and environmental review are now threatened. And in the meantime, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.For the record: Most of the states suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acting FEMA head David Richardson, the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are Democratic-led.The states suing the administration are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.Representatives for the DHS and FEMA did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Wednesday evening.Go deeper: Governors accuse Trump admin of stalling disaster recoveryEditor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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