New York Attorney General Letitia James says the feds are out of excuses.
James announced Saturday that she and a coalition of states have “won a court order” that should make the federal government restore FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants and billions in mitigation dollars. The legal victory dates back to a December federal ruling, but state officials and New York City leaders say FEMA has yet to actually release the money, leaving dozens of flood and wildfire protection projects in limbo across the state.
What the court actually ordered
On Dec. 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns granted summary judgment for a coalition of states and declared FEMA’s termination of the BRIC program unlawful. He vacated the agency’s action and directed FEMA to “promptly take all steps necessary to reverse the termination.” According to Justia, the termination was voided and the agency was enjoined from implementing the cancelation.
States press the agency to comply
Plaintiff states say that even after the December ruling, FEMA has given little concrete guidance and has not reissued the FY2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). A multistate enforcement motion filed Feb. 17 asked the court to require FEMA to make pre-disaster mitigation funds available, inform states and grantees of project statuses, reissue the NOFO and file periodic status reports with the court, according to the filing from the Connecticut Attorney General's Office.
What is at stake for New Yorkers
New York City told the court it expects roughly $351.4 million across 19 BRIC projects, ranging from Seaport Coastal Resilience work to cloudburst hubs and shoreline protections, and warned that the funding pause jeopardizes construction, sewer upgrades and other flood defenses. The city submitted a legal declaration backing the states’ challenge and laid out the projects and dollar amounts at risk in its press release to the public and the court.
James’ message and the X post
On March 6, Attorney General Letitia James posted on X that the coalition had “won a court order” restoring BRIC and billions in funds, adding, “I’ll always fight to ensure our state gets the funding we need to keep New Yorkers safe.” Her post frames December’s judicial victory as the key milestone, with enforcement as the next hurdle for officials trying to get the money out of Washington and into local projects. For the full text of her post see X.
FEMA’s response
FEMA has maintained that it is following court directives even as states push for faster action. A FEMA spokesperson told reporters the agency is “fully complying with all court orders regarding BRIC funding” and that it “will continue to follow all legal requirements and court directives as we work to deliver funding and support for disaster resilience,” according to reporting by Blue Ridge Public Radio.
What happens next
The states have asked the court to spell out concrete steps, including reissuing the FY24 NOFO, notifying grantees and producing a timeline, and to order compliance if FEMA does not act. Local officials and advocates warn that each month of delay risks projects and leaves vulnerable neighborhoods exposed, and the coalition says it will return to the judge to enforce the December order if necessary. Hoodline earlier covered the multistate effort in depth in its earlier coverage of the multistate push.
