Judge Blocks Trump's Climate, Infrastructure Grant Freeze

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from freezing billions of dollars in grants Congress authorized under two signature climate investment and infrastructure laws of his predecessor, Democratic former President Joe Biden.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Providence, Rhode Island, issued an injunction at the behest of environmental groups that argued the Trump administration was unlawfully freezing already-awarded funding for projects to combat climate change, reduce pollution and modernize U.S. infrastructure.

That funding had been authorized by Congress pursuant to Biden's $1 trillion bill known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and his signature 2022 climate investment law, the Inflation Reduction Act.

The funding was frozen after Trump on Jan. 20, his first day back in office, signed an executive order directing agencies to pause funding approved under those two laws, pending a review to ensure the spending supported his policies.

Following that order, the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Housing and Urban Development each paused the distribution of grant funding.

In a lawsuit filed March 13, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, National Council of Nonprofits, Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District and Green Infrastructure Center argued the agencies lacked authority to unilaterally withhold congressionally authorized funds that had already been awarded.

They said the agencies froze the money despite earlier rulings by another judge in Rhode Island, who at the urging of a group of Democratic-led states blocked the administration from carrying out a sweeping, blanket freeze on $3 trillion in federal grants, loans and other financial assistance.

The Trump administration countered it was entitled to temporarily pause funding for those currently awarded grants to decide whether to redirect funding elsewhere, and that the Rhode Island judge lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.

The Department of Justice said its position was bolstered after the Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling on April 4 cleared the way for the administration to terminate millions of dollars in teacher training grants as part of Trump's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.