[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 72 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CUTS TO FEMA BRIC GRANTS

  (Ms. ELFRETH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ELFRETH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to this 
administration's devastating cuts to FEMA's BRIC program, otherwise 
known as the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants.
  Towns like Crisfield in Maryland, Baltimore, and dozens of 
communities across this Nation, rely on this funding to ward off the 
very real and very devastating effects of flooding.
  Not only do these programs save lives, but it is also one of the best 
investments that this Federal Government can make in this country, 
matching State and local funding. These projects in the long-term save 
$6 for every $1 in upfront spending.
  Yet, on this Earth Day, and just before we are about to enter 
hurricane season, instead of protecting our communities from sea level 
rise, the Trump administration ended this program.
  When we talk about government cuts to environmental programs, I will 
caution that rising seas don't care who is in the White House. The 
water doesn't care how a small town that experiences 90 days of 
flooding or more a year voted in the last election. Flooding will 
continue to devastate communities, even if the President does not 
believe in climate change.

  That is why I will continue to fight for the reinstatement of these 
funds for Crisfield, for Maryland, and for every community affected by 
flooding across this country.

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