A federal judge in Rhode Island charged the Trump administration with "secretively" holding back money intended for various purposes. Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid initiatives from jurisdictions that did not support his election, Courthouse News reported on Friday.
In March, U.S. District Judge John McConnell granted a temporary restraining order supporting 23 states. sued the government As highlighted in the report, "it concerns its strategy to enforce an extensive halt on state assistance."
McConnell, who was appointed by ex-President Barack Obama, determined that the proposal “significantly diminishes the distinctive constitutional responsibilities of each governmental branch,” and instructed the Trump administration to “promptly resume any halted funding” indefinitely.
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According to the report, though, 19 states—all represented by Democratic attorneys general—provided "uncontested proof" that the Trump administration has persistently withheld this information ever since. FEMA aid.
According to the report, Oregon stated that over $120 million in disaster relief funds for winter storms, floods, landslides, wildfires, and flood prevention remains blocked by FEMA. Additionally, Hawaii mentioned that the organization has yet to respond to an approximately $6 million request aimed at rebuilding efforts following the 2023 Maui wildfires.
On their end, Trump administration officials asserted that FEMA was simply enforcing a fresh manual review protocol for assigned financial resources, stating this action complies with the court's restraining order. Nonetheless, the affected states argued that since early February, they had been deprived of significant fund distributions essential for these grant programs.
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McConnell concurred, stating in his directive that the policy "stealthily" equates to an "unspecified halt," thereby "FEMA’s procedure for manual reviews contravenes the court’s temporary restraining order."
In a statement According to Erik Uebelacker of the outlet, a Homeland Security representative did not refute the claim that funds were held back from so-called "blue" states and criticized the decision.
This is once again an instance of an activist judge attempting to hinder President Trump’s initiatives. Following Secretary Noem’s guidance, FEMA has introduced further measures to guarantee that all activities within their grant programs align with legal standards and do not facilitate fraud, waste, or misuse as they have previously done. We remain committed to ensuring that funds from U.S. taxpayers are utilized prudently and exclusively for essential missions.
Republican officials have frequently considered imposing additional requirements on so-called blue states when providing disaster aid in recent months. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has suggested this approach as well. added demands on California following the destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles region; at the same time, Trump has apparently contemplated acting alone to shut down FEMA altogether , even though this might likely result in significantly less funding for red states compared to blue states.
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