<h1>Twenty states sue FEMA over illegal elimination of disaster mitigation grant programme despite Congressional funding</h1> Twenty Democratic-led states filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency challenging the elimination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities programme. The lawsuit contends the administration acted illegally when it announced in April it was ending the grant programme that helps communities guard against natural disasters. The agency cancelled ongoing projects and refused to approve new ones despite Congressional funding. The programme, established by a 2000 law, provides grants for disaster mitigation efforts including levees, safe rooms, vegetation management, and seismic retrofitting. The suit alleges the administration violated constitutional separation of powers since Congress had not authorized the programme's termination, and claims the decision was illegal because it was made by an acting administrator who hadn't met agency leadership requirements. Communities nationwide have already been affected, with some losing millions in approved funding for critical infrastructure projects.