Arizona joins lawsuit against Trump administration over disaster mitigation funding

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined another multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration, this time over withheld disaster relief funds from FEMA.

“The Trump administration has demonstrated outright hostility toward helping states with disaster relief in attempts to slash FEMA,” Mayes said in a Wednesday announcement. “Support for our states and our ability to fight disasters, like those that we see during wildfire season, is incredibly important.”

The lawsuit challenges White House plans to cut FEMA funding and shut down key programs like the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) initiative, which helps states proactively strengthen infrastructure to reduce disaster damage and costs.

By joining this lawsuit, Mayes bumped the total number of cases against the Trump administration that Arizona is involved in up to 22.

How does the withholding of disaster relief funds impact Arizona?

The Attorney General’s Office is working to secure millions of dollars in BRIC disaster prevention funding that was supposed to go to Arizona.

In the last four years, FEMA has chosen nearly 2,000 projects across the country to receive a total of $4.5 billion. Arizona was selected for 25 of those projects, which add up to $9.8 million. Around $1.2 million went toward state salaries and management, while the rest will help fund projects that protect communities from natural disasters.

Mayes warned that ending the BRIC program is forcing communities to delay, reduce or cancel hundreds of disaster mitigation projects, many of which have been years in the making and already involve millions in investments.

“We are in wildfire season and we need all hands on deck,” she said. “Not to mention, Arizonans were counting on millions of these dollars to prevent future flooding in places like Buckeye and Camp Verde.”

What does lawsuit over disaster relief funds hope to accomplish?

Mayes and the 19 other plaintiffs hope the multistate lawsuit will accomplish three things:

• Stop the Trump administration from spending BRIC funds on other purposes.
• Reverse the termination of the BRIC program.
• Require that the disaster relief funds are allocated to the communities relying on them.

Mayes added that President Donald Trump’s decisions are increasing Americans’ vulnerability to natural disasters.

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