A coalition of 22 states and Washington D.C. has launched an emergency legal action against the Trump administration over delayed climate funding.
At a Glance
- 22 states and D.C. filed an emergency motion to enforce a restraining order against Trump’s funding freeze
- Judge John McConnell issued a temporary restraining order on Jan. 31, but access to federal funds remains blocked
- Billions in federal financial assistance for climate and infrastructure projects are affected
- The Trump administration claims some funds are outside the court’s order
- Attorneys General emphasize real-world impacts and seek court enforcement without sanctions
States Unite Against Funding Freeze
Attorneys General from 22 states and the District of Columbia have filed an emergency motion to enforce a restraining order against the Trump administration’s controversial funding freeze.
You just knew they wouldn’t let Trump have his way, right?
The legal action comes in response to ongoing issues with federal financial assistance being suspended, deleted, or placed under review, affecting billions of dollars earmarked for essential climate and infrastructure projects.
The funding impasse stems from a January 31 temporary restraining order issued by Rhode Island U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell, which was intended to prevent the freeze. However, despite the court’s intervention, access to federal funds remains blocked, prompting the states to seek judicial enforcement.
The scale of the funding freeze is significant, with billions of dollars hanging in the balance. Among the blocked funds are $5 billion for greenhouse gas reduction, $117.5 million for air monitoring, $4.5 billion for home electrification, and $7 billion for solar energy projects. These figures underscore the widespread impact of the administration’s actions on environmental and infrastructure initiatives across the country.
“These funds are not monopoly money, and this is not a game,” Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said. “Real people are suffering, and will continue to suffer incredible damages from the disruption of these vital funds.”
Suffering? We’re talking about solar panels here…
As of February 5, grant accounts remained unavailable, and federal agencies were either unresponsive or canceling scheduled meetings. The Trump administration has cited unspecified operational and administrative reasons for the funding delays, while also claiming that some funds fall outside the court’s order due to another Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo not challenged by the states.
Legal Standoff Continues
The lawsuit was initially filed after an OMB memo directed a suspension of financial assistance. Although this memo was later rescinded, the Attorneys General argue that its effects are still in place. Judge McConnell suggested that the rescission was superficial and that the Trump administration had violated the Administrative Procedures Act.
“These conditions persist today,” the Attorneys General stated. “And, while it is imaginable that a certain amount of machinery would need to be re-tooled in order to undo the breadth of the federal funding freeze, there is no world in which these scattershot outages, which as of this writing impact billions of dollars in federal funding across the plaintiff states, can constitute compliance with this court’s order.”
While the Attorneys General are not currently seeking sanctions, they are urging the court to ensure the administration’s compliance with the restraining order. The coalition, which includes Attorneys General from states such as Arizona, California, and New York, emphasizes the real-world impact of the funding disruption on their communities and the urgent need for resolution.
