Brockton, Taunton among communities impacted by Trump’s cancellation of disaster funds

TAUNTON, Mass. (WLNE) — Brockton and Taunton were two of the towns expected to be be impacted by the Trump administration’s cancellation of $90 million in disaster relief funds for Massachusetts.

Gov. Maura Healey said the administration cancelled the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, a partnership between FEMA and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in the state and with other state organizations nationwide.

Brockton will lose $124,000 for the Keith Field Culvert Project, while Taunton loses $195,000 for the Cobb Brook Culvert Study Project.

“The Trump administration has suddenly ripped the rug out from under cities and towns that had been promised funding to help them upgrade their roads, bridges, buildings, and green spaces to mitigate risk and prevent disasters in the future,” Healey said. “This makes our communities less safe and will increase costs for residents, municipalities, and businesses.”

Mayor Shaunna O’Connell released the following statement on the loss of federal funds:

The Cobb Brook project is an ongoing multi-phase initiative designed to remediate flooding in the Cobb Brook area of the City of Taunton. While the City of Taunton is certainly disappointed by the loss of nearly $195,000 in federal grant funding for the Cobb Brook Culvert Study, our Capital Improvement Program—developed by our Finance Team —has been preparing for possible bad news and has already identified funding for this project in Fiscal Year 26. The CIP is intentionally designed to ensure that critical infrastructure projects like this one are not dependent on one-time grant opportunities. While we actively pursue grants and supplemental funding to help offset costs, we plan responsibly to ensure that essential projects move forward regardless of changes in external funding.

A full list of communities expected to be impacted by the cuts can be found here.