--- title: "The Mitigation Funding That Came Back Different" canonical: "https://anchor.is/docket/issue/38/systems/article/26920/the-mitigation-funding-that-came-back-different" publication: "The Docket" publisher: "The Docket" language: "en-US" guide: "https://anchor.is/docket/llms.txt" author: "Maya Jiménez" author_url: "https://anchor.is/docket/team/19" issue: 38 section: "systems" section_name: "Cascading Effects" published: 2026-06-27 word_count: 307 source_links: 6 --- # The Mitigation Funding That Came Back Different *By [Maya Jiménez]()* *June 27, 2026* [Read on the website]() Before FEMA cancelled BRIC last April, a county applying for flood mitigation had already spent real money getting to that point. Engineering assessments, hazard plans, staff hours dedicated to a federal application process that takes months. When FEMA [halted roughly $3.6 billion](https://apnews.com/article/ff0df0da60e3001e19f97bcb7778f41c) across nearly 700 projects, all of that investment was stranded. A federal judge ruled the cancellation unlawful in December 2025. When FEMA still hadn't complied by February, states filed an enforcement motion describing municipalities "[scrambling to fill funding gaps](https://www.floods.org/news-views/fema-news/fema-ordered-to-restart-bric-program/)." A March order gave the agency 21 days. What reopened on March 25 was $1 billion in new applications, not the $3.6 billion frozen. And the restored program is structurally different. FEMA eliminated funding for hazard-mitigation planning and the technical assistance that helped under-resourced communities build capacity to apply in the first place. The new program [prioritizes "ready to implement" projects](https://opengrants.io/fema-grants-canceled-sued-funded-again/), which tilts toward jurisdictions that already have engineering staff and administrative infrastructure. For a small county without a dedicated grant writer, the program technically exists. Getting through the application is another matter. **April 2025** FEMA cancels BRIC, halting ~$3.6B across [nearly 700 projects](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-resumes-bric-mitigation-program-judge-order-lawsuit/) **July 2025** Twenty-two states and D.C. [file suit](https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/12/12/judge-orders-fema-grant-restored-bric-massachusetts) **Aug. 2025** Federal court blocks FEMA from reallocating funds **Dec. 2025** Judge rules cancellation unlawful, orders reversal **Feb. 2026** States file enforcement motion; FEMA still hasn't complied **March 6, 2026** Judge issues [21-day deadline](https://www.floods.org/news-views/fema-news/fema-ordered-to-restart-bric-program/) **March 25, 2026** FEMA reopens BRIC with [$1B for FY2024–25](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fema-complies-with-court-order-to-resume-major-disaster-preparedness-grant-program). Applications due July 23, 2026 **What the restored program cut:** Hazard-mitigation planning grants and technical assistance for smaller communities **What it added:** Per-recipient caps. Priority for shovel-ready projects **Still unresolved:** Status of previously awarded FY2020–23 grants remains under court supervision. Separately, Trump has not approved any state's request for hazard mitigation add-on funding for [over a year](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-resumes-bric-mitigation-program-judge-order-lawsuit/) **The math:** Every [$1 in disaster preparation saves $13](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fema-complies-with-court-order-to-resume-major-disaster-preparedness-grant-program) in damage and cleanup ## More - [Cascading Effects — Issue 38]() - [Issue 38]() - [Publication guide]()