Vermont has joined other states in suing the Trump administration for funds that had been intended to help local communities better withstand natural disasters, Attorney General Charity Clark announced on Wednesday.
As Seven Days has previously reported, communities in Vermont that have been hard-hit by floods, including Barre City, had turned to grants offered through a Federal Emergency Management Agency initiative. But FEMA announced in April that it was canceling the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.
According to Clark, that is costing Vermont communities more than $5 million in projects and plans that would have helped them better withstand natural disasters. As an example, she cited the cancellation of a $127,760 study that would have assessed opportunities for restoring floodplains along the Lower Whetstone Brook in order to reduce storm-related flooding in downtown Brattleboro.
Vermont joined 20 states suing over FEMA’s cuts. They allege that canceling a program that Congress had agreed to fund was illegal.
Related
The Loss of FEMA Dollars Leaves Towns Scrambling
In a statement, Clark noted that flooding has hit Vermont for three consecutive summers.
“We can expect these disasters to continue — and we must prepare by building more resilient infrastructure to protect our communities,” Clark’s statement says. “Ending FEMA’s BRIC program, after Congress funded it, is not only short-sighted — it’s also illegal. I’m suing to safeguard this program and its funding for the communities who are counting on it.”
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, Clark has sued his administration 23 times. The AG’s office maintains a summary of the suits, copies of the complaints and updates here.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
