20 states — including Pa. — are suing the Trump administration over ending FEMA disaster funding. Here’s what we know.

Pennsylvania has joined a group of 20 states suing President Donald Trump‘s administration over its decision to halt the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decades-old natural disaster funding program.

The coalition announced Wednesday it was taking legal action, calling the move to scrap the bipartisan grants illegal. States involved in the lawsuit say FEMA’s funding was critical to plan ahead of disasters and has saved taxpayers billions of dollars that otherwise would have been spent on recovery efforts.

“The impact of the shutdown has been devastating,” the lawsuit says. “Communities across the country are being forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of mitigation projects depending on this funding … and in the meantime, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.”

Here’s what to know.

The coalition is composed of 19 Democratic attorneys general and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, also a Democrat.

Here’s a full list:

The Trump administration canceled funding for disaster recovery and resilience that had already been approved by Congress and awarded by FEMA to the states that are suing.

According to the lawsuit, FEMA ended its Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities program without approval from Congress.

The recision came on the heels of deadly floods in central Texas and recent heavy flooding across the Northeast.

The Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities program helped communities prepare for extreme weather by providing funding to protect key infrastructure before problems occurred.

For example, in Philadelphia, the city received over $25 million in funding to make sewer-system improvements and take other flood-prevention measures.

According to the lawsuit, FEMA selected nearly 2,000 projects to receive about $4.5 billion in grants over the last four years.

FEMA announced in April it would end the program as part of efforts by its parent agency — the Department of Homeland Security — to reduce “waste, fraud, and abuse.”

The states fighting the cuts said in Wednesday’s lawsuit that eliminating the program will cost more money than it saves.

“For nearly thirty years, and across five Presidential administrations, FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program has operated on a simple premise,” the lawsuit said. “By proactively fortifying our communities against disasters before they strike, rather than just responding afterward, we will reduce injuries, save lives, protect property, and ultimately, save money that would otherwise be spent on post-disaster costs.”

The plaintiffs added that funding from the program saved taxpayers more than $150 billion in expenses that would have been incurred from the aftermath of natural disasters without infrastructure planning.

Trump has not commented on the lawsuit. In his second term, he has indicated a desire to get rid of FEMA.

Following the Texas floods, Trump’s administration softened its stance, declaring it would reform the agency rather than eliminate it completely.

Shapiro said in a statement on X that Pennsylvania stands to lose over $130 million for 47 projects that would help mitigate natural disasters.

“Since the Trump Administration ripped away this funding, our cities and counties are now exposed to preventable disasters including flooding, landslides, and power outages,” Shapiro said. “Pennsylvanians at their most vulnerable are already losing out without this funding.”

He added that a program to reduce basement flooding in Philadelphia and protect drinking water is also in jeopardy without the promised funding.

New Jersey’s attorney general, Matthew J. Platkin, said in a statement Wednesday that natural disasters continue to affect the region, emphasizing the importance of the funding.

“New Jersey has repeatedly been hit by natural disasters, including Sandy and Ida, which devastated our state with major loss of life and property,” Platkin said. “Now the Trump administration is attempting to illegally shut down BRIC, making it much harder for communities across our state to protect themselves against future extreme weather events and putting lives at risk.”

FEMA and DHS representatives have not commented on the lawsuit.

After announcing BRIC’s elimination in April and removing information about it from its website, agency officials called the program “ineffective.” As noted by the New York Times, FEMA officials did not provide examples or evidence to back up those claims.

Correct. This lawsuit regarding FEMA is just the latest in a string of lawsuits state leaders — including in Pennsylvania — are filing against the Trump administration.

Shapiro and Pennsylvania are also going up against the White House with lawsuits surrounding immigration, SNAP funding, school funding, health contracts, and more.