Congress·In Committee·H.R. 2907

Rep. Stanton Introduces Save BRIC Act to Restore $4 Billion in Disaster Prevention Grants

Save BRIC Act

11 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

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Key Points

This bill would make federal disaster prevention funding mandatory instead of optional. It changes the word "may" to "shall" in the Stafford Act, meaning the government would be required to fund projects that protect communities before disasters hit.
The bill targets the BRIC program, which funds a wide range of pre-disaster activities like moving buildings out of flood zones, making structures stronger against hurricanes and earthquakes, and reducing deaths during extreme heat events.
From policy text
“Mitigation can encompass a wide variety of activities, including preparation and planning, elevating or moving structures prone to flooding, reducing loss of life during extreme heat, and hardening structures to mitigate the effects of hurricanes or earthquakes.”
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Congress introduced this bill because over $4 billion in BRIC grants were recently canceled and clawed back from communities that were counting on the money to prepare for future disasters.
From policy text
“In 2025, the BRIC program was wrongfully cancelled and over $4,000,000,000 of predisaster mitigation grants were clawed back from communities vulnerable to disaster damage.”
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Research cited in the bill shows that every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation saves up to $13 in disaster recovery costs. In 2024 alone, the country experienced 27 weather and climate disasters each causing over $1 billion in damage.
From policy text
“Scientific research has proven that every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation saves up to $13 in disaster recovery costs.”
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The BRIC program was originally created by Trump in 2019. The bill frames restoring the program as consistent with that original decision, calling it "prudent from a business and insurance perspective."
From policy text
“In 2019, President Trump created the predisaster mitigation program known as Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure (BRIC) because it is prudent from a business and insurance perspective.”
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Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

3 milestones3 actions

Apr 14, 2025House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Apr 14, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Apr 14, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles

Times Leader·11 months ago

Rep. Bresnahan introduces Save the BRIC Act to protect program from elimination

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. introduced the Save BRIC Act, a bipartisan bill with Rep. Greg Stanton to require FEMA to disburse funding through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. The bill aims to prevent the program's elimination after a $750 million funding halt.

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E&E News·9 months ago

Cities lose hope for restarting disaster projects killed by Trump

Following the cancellation of $4.5 billion in FEMA grants, Reps. Bresnahan and Stanton introduced the Save BRIC Act. The legislation seeks to make the program mandatory by changing federal law from 'may establish' to 'shall,' protecting projects like flood buyouts and hurricane strengthening.

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The Ripon Advance·11 months ago

Bresnahan urges reinstatement of federal FEMA program for building resilient infrastructure

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan opposed FEMA's cancellation of the BRIC program and all pending applications from 2020-2023. The Save BRIC Act was introduced as a legislative fix to ensure that pre-disaster mitigation funding remains a mandatory federal responsibility rather than a discretionary one.

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