AG Campbell Secures Court Order Blocking Trump Administration From Freezing Federal Funds

Lawsuit has resulted in restoration of billions of dollars in critical federal funding for environmental, healthcare, infrastructure, and other necessary programs

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general today secured a preliminary injunction order in New York v. Trump. The order blocks the Trump Administration's illegal policy to place a categorical freeze on billions of

dollars of federal funding. The policy endangered the States’ ability to provide vital services, such as public safety, health care, education, childcare, and transportation infrastructure.  

Chief Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island today granted the preliminary injunction after Attorney General Campbell and the coalition sued the Trump administration to stop the funding freeze.   

“Today’s order is a significant victory because both our residents and our economy rely on this federal funding to thrive. It, for example, supports our roads, bridges and solar energy infrastructure, and our access to childcare, clean water, and healthcare,” said AG Campbell. “I will continue to fight to ensure that these essential federal services and resources remain despite these unlawful threats.”   

The administration’s funding freeze policy, issued through an array of actions, including Day 1 Executive Orders and a January 27 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), illegally withheld trillions of dollars in federal funds for states and other entities like nonprofit organizations and community health centers. The policy caused immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds.  

Attorney General Campbell and the coalition sued the administration over the freeze on January 28, and on January 31, the court granted the attorneys general’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the freeze’s implementation until further order from the court and releasing significant funding back to the States.  

On February 7, Attorney General Campbell and the coalition filed motions for enforcement as to some still-withheld funds and a preliminary injunction to stop the illegal freeze and preserve federal funding that families, communities, and states rely on. On February 8, the court granted the motion for enforcement, ordering the Trump Administration to immediately comply with the TRO and stop freezing federal funds.  

On February 28, Attorney General Campbell and the coalition filed a second motion for enforcement seeking to stop the Trump administration from freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to the states from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  

Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted Attorney General Campbell and the coalition’s request for a preliminary injunction, halting the implementation of the administration’s policy while the litigation proceeds. The Court concluded that the states had demonstrated a high likelihood of success on their claims that the funding freeze is unlawful under numerous federal laws, and that the funding freeze, if not stopped, would irreparably harm the States.  

As just a few examples, the funding freeze would prevent implementation of executed contracts with municipalities across the Commonwealth to install new treatment systems that remove lead and harmful “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, from drinking water and would threaten funding that ensures the accessibility of our public transit systems and reconnects communities long divided by transportation infrastructure. The freeze also would hamper the Commonwealth’s ability to monitor air pollution, which directly affects the information available to Massachusetts residents to take actions to protect their health. 

Under the order, not only must all agencies receive notice of the Court’s instruction, but they also must release any funds that have been frozen or withheld based on the administration’s policy.  In today’s order, the Court also requires FEMA to provide evidence by March 14 of its compliance with the order to release any withheld funds to the States.  

The lawsuit is led by AG Campbell and the attorneys general of California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Joining the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.