From CBS News: 20 states sue DHS, FEMA for cuts to disaster mitigation program

“A group of 20 states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday seeking to block what they say was an illegal termination of a program that provided federal funding for natural disaster mitigation projects.

“By unilaterally shutting down FEMA’s flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of power principles,” the lawsuit alleges, arguing that the executive branch doesn’t have the authority to shut down the program funded by Congress.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, targets Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Richardson for their role in shutting down FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, also known as BRIC, program earlier this year. The lawsuit argues the power to make such a decision falls to Congress.”