Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 12 states in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary David Richardson, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The lawsuit claims the federal government has interfered with emergency management and homeland security grants already promised to states.
The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s actions, alleging it has attempted to reduce FEMA’s role and shift emergency management responsibilities to states by denying or restricting emergency declarations, withholding grant funding, and adding new terms to long-standing grant programs. The coalition argues these terms are unlawful, unconstitutional, and impossible to meet.
The disputed changes apply to the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) and the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). These grants fund state emergency management and homeland security operations, including support for the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM). Grant funding was used for MDEM’s response to the January 2025 air disaster over the Potomac River and severe flash flooding in Western Maryland in May 2025.
According to the lawsuit, the federal government has placed a funding hold on one grant and altered the timeline for spending under both programs. The states argue these actions exceed federal authority, violate required procedures, and restrict the use of funding for past and future projects within the grant programs.
Joining Maryland in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Hawaiʻi, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin, along with the Governor of Kentucky. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
