Attorney General Jeff Jackson Fights for Funding Promised to NC

In a ruling earlier this month, a federal judge ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to release the funds it continues to withhold from North Carolina communities previously awarded disaster resiliency project grants under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) disaster mitigation program. 

“FEMA tried to cancel $200 million for North Carolina,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “We took them to court, we won, and then they defied the court order and refused to pay. So, we just took them back to court – and won again.” The court ordered FEMA to show it was taking steps to comply within a specific deadline, a time period which will expire March 20. 

In a statement released last week, AG Jackson said that his office is prepared to head back to the same courtroom if FEMA continues to fail to comply. “Sometimes people ask, ‘What if the federal government just refuses to obey the court?’ I used to say, ‘That hasn’t happened yet, but if it does, we’ll take it seriously – and I bet the court will, too,’” said Jackson. “Well, now it has happened. We took it seriously, and so did the court. I’ll report back as soon as the money starts flowing.”