Ranking Members Stanton and Larsen Statement on Trump Administration’s Short-Sighted Elimination of Successful Resilience Initiative

Washington, D.C.— Today, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it is eliminating the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program­ and clawing back grants that were promised to states. These actions are leaving the American people more vulnerable to increasingly intense and frequent natural disasters. “Donald Trump is robbing Arizona communities of more than $60 million to protect families from wildfires, flash flooding, extreme heat and prolonged drought,” Ranking Member Stanton said. “The Trump Administration wants to claim FEMA is more concerned with climate change than responding to natural disasters? Emergency managers know the two are inseparable. BRIC grants are a small up-front investment in resilience to save lives and taxpayer dollars long-term. I can’t imagine a more self-defeating move.” “Investing in disaster resilience saves lives and taxpayer money,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, and by eliminating funding to build resiliency the Trump Administration has just made it much more difficult for communities to properly prepare. FEMA must reverse its reckless decision because we know mitigation works.” Background : The BRIC program supports states, local and territorial governments and Tribal Nations to improve their capacity and capability to prepare for natural disasters, reducing hazard risk. The following chart illustrates how much disaster resilience funding each state is losing thanks to the Trump Administration’s elimination of the BRIC program. Alabama, $25,189,655 Alaska, $87,214,225 Arizona, $61,020,830 Arkansas, $2,096,990 California, $1,186,740,992 Colorado, $16,247,223 Connecticut, $94,041,411 Delaware, $3,120,199 Florida, $293,208,096 Georgia, $37,993,370 Hawaii, $11,122,540 Idaho, $13,010,843 Illinois, $88,116,636 Indiana, $8,295,938 Iowa, $46,987,504 Kansas, $1,587,490 Kentucky, $28,371,848 Louisiana, $438,557,589 Maine, $3,849,169 Maryland, $82,636,878 Massachusetts, $104,667,028 Michigan, $12,491,982 Minnesota, $4,033,138 Mississippi, $3,896,751 Missouri, $7,836,037 Montana, $15,693,854 Nebraska, $36,489,128 Nevada, $12,753,013 New Hampshire, $1,218,145 New Jersey, $169,967,815 New Mexico, $1,861,191 New York, $417,970,680 North Carolina, $195,499,300 North Dakota, $82,037,182 Ohio, $63,175,473 Oklahoma, $33,172,088 Oregon, $157,361,866 Pennsylvania, $143,535,222 Rhode Island, $2,425,785 South Carolina, $32,208,624 South Dakota, $14,860,179 Tennessee, $956,007 Texas, $510,667,172 Utah, $3,144,849 Vermont, $2,779,271 Virginia, $74,984,364 Washington, $152,342,472 West Virginia, $10,229,434 Wisconsin, $42,766,669 Wyoming, $822,466