In April, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s oversight, terminated its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, a program approved by Congress in 2018 to provide more stable funding for projects that would build better infrastructure to withstand disasters and ultimately reduce the cost of disaster recovery:
Studies show preparing for disasters ahead of time can mean significant savings. For every $1 invested in preparation, between $4 and $11 is avoided in losses, according to a report from the National Institute of Building Sciences, a nonprofit research group [Lauren Sommer and Rebecca Hersher, “Rural Communities Were Promised Millions in Disaster Funds. Trump Is Ending It,” NPR/Oregon Public Media, 2025.05.02].
In South Dakota, BRIC would help Mobridge upgrade its water treatment system, Rapid City update its building codes and permitting software, and Chancellor build a community storm shelter.
Ending BRIC hits rural communities especially hard:
Many small, rural communities applied for federal money because they have no other option. For many, federal funding is the only source large enough to update the aging infrastructure that’s vulnerable to increasingly intense disasters [Sommer and Hersher, 2025.05.02].
Luckily for disaster-prone Trump voters, Democratic states are suing to keep BRIC funds flowing, arguing Dictator Trump is once again usurping Congressional budget authority. So far, those Democratic litigants are winning:
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from reallocating $4 billion meant to help communities protect against natural disasters.
U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns in Boston granted a preliminary injunction sought by 20 Democrat-led states while their lawsuit over the funding moves ahead.
…In his ruling, Stearns said he was not convinced Congress had given FEMA any discretion to redirect the funds. The states had also shown that the “balance of hardship and public interest” was in their favor.
“There is an inherent public interest in ensuring that the government follows the law, and the potential hardship accruing to the States from the funds being repurposed is great,” Stearns wrote. “The BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives” [Jack Brook and Michael Casey, “Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration Cannot Reallocate Billions Meant for Disaster Mitigation,” AP, 2025.08.05].
The Trump Administration’s drive to put ideology over reality is endangering rural America; Democratic states are fighting to mitigate the Trump disaster and preserve the federal support that keeps rural America safe and strong.