View a pdf of the letter sent to President Trump on March 13, 2025 here.
Recent Presidential Executive Orders and actions related to federal funding for science and engineering have cast doubt upon the ability of the federal government to fulfill its necessary and essential role in protecting the country against future earthquakes.
EERI is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to understanding earthquake risk and increasing earthquake resilience. We advocate for comprehensive, cost-effective, and realistic measures for reducing the destructive effects of earthquakes. EERI members live in 47 U.S. states and territories. EERI members are professionals in a wide range of seismic safety-related scientific, engineering, and design disciplines, including but not limited to architects, planners, social scientists, seismologists, structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, and public policy professionals.
On behalf of our members, we urge you to consider the risk of earthquakes to the strength, safety, and vibrancy of our nation when considering changes to the future roles of federal departments and agencies. We all want a nation that can withstand and return to normalcy quickly after major earthquakes. We all want to avoid loss of life, injuries and widespread disruption to businesses, schools, healthcare, and other core functions of communities. We believe that these goals are most effectively accomplished with a strong and robust federal role. This includes continued funding for fundamental and applied research in earthquake science and engineering, the advancement of seismic safety standards and practices in the built environment, public education about earthquake risks, and post-earthquake technical investigations. Cutting funding for federal programs focused on these activities will at best provide short-term gains in exchange for long-term losses.
Earthquakes impact nearly 75% of the U.S.; hundreds of millions of Americans are at risk of earthquakes. A recent USGS/FEMA study estimated that future earthquakes will cost the United States on average $14.7 billion annually in building damage and associated losses. A separate FEMA study demonstrated that enforcement of modern building codes saves an average of $60 million annually. The resilience of our nation to future earthquakes is supported by the collaborative work of many agencies, especially those required to act under NEHRP, a program created in 1977 intended to address our Nation’s seismic risk. NEHRP provides funding to NIST, NSF, USGS, and FEMA to advance earthquake science and engineering, develop and implement techniques to make our nation safer and more resilient, and support the efforts of the states, communities, and the public to be more prepared for earthquakes.
EERI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide our members with the technical knowledge, leadership and advocacy skills, collaborative networks, and multidisciplinary context to achieve earthquake resilience in their communities worldwide.
Some examples of what is at risk from potential funding and agency reductions include:
- NSF research funding is essential to ensure that America remains a leader in earthquake science and engineering. State-of-the-art science being conducted by EERI members is used to inform cost-effective building code provisions that protect against earthquake losses and increase the safety of Americans.
- Grants provided through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Building Resistant Infrastructure and Community (BRIC) are critical components of state and local government earthquake readiness. Without this funding, many states and territories would struggle to fund seismic safety upgrades to essential public buildings to withstand earthquakes.
- USGS resources and tools, including the National Seismic Hazard Model, the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system, and real-time data about earthquakes, are used by scientists, engineers, and the public every day. These resources must be maintained to save lives and protect property during earthquakes.
- Multi-agency coordination led by NIST through NEHRP ensures state-level earthquake planning and preparedness, applied research, and collaboration supporting techniques and implementation of earthquake risk reduction strategies. Without NEHRP funding, coordination and response to a large event, such as a multi-state catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, would be crippled.
I urge you to consider the risk of earthquakes to the strength, safety, and vibrancy of our nation when considering changes to the future roles of federal departments and agencies. EERI is available to provide guidance and recommendations regarding earthquake vulnerability and federal agency reform.
Thank you for your consideration,
Ellen Rathje, EERI President-Elect
Heidi Tremayne, EERI Executive Director
