New York Attorney General Letitia James is one of the leaders in a 22-member coalition of state attorneys general that has asked a federal court in Rhode Island to force the Trump Administration to obey previous court orders and unfreeze Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds that it has refused to release.
The attorneys general say that the funding freeze threatens critical emergency preparedness and recovery programs.
“The Trump administration’s reckless and illegal freeze on federal funding jeopardizes critical resources that help keep communities throughout New York and the nation safe,” James said. “This dangerous policy put law enforcement, health care, and education funding at risk, and it continues to impact programs that protect our communities and help the most vulnerable.”
The filing said, “Plaintiff States, through this motion, respectfully request that the Court use its inherent authority to enforce the Temporary Restraining Order entered on January 31, 2025, ECF No. 50, subsequent orders regarding the TRO entered on February 10, 2025 (ECF No. 96) and February 12, 2025 (ECF No. 107), or any preliminary injunction entered by the Court.”
The filing did not ask the court to hold the administration in contempt at this time but also did not provide a shopping list of possible actions that could be taken if the administration continues to keep the money bottled up.
“Plaintiff States have continued to experience significant obstacles to accessing federal funds,” the latest filing with the court said. “Although Plaintiff States have successfully worked with Defendants to fully or partially restore access to certain funds without the Court’s involvement, the parties have reached an impasse as to millions of dollars in obligated FEMA awards, which are and have remained frozen.”
The grants that are being withheld include millions of dollars in health, safety and welfare funds for wildfire prevention response, flood mitigation, port security, cybersecurity, emergency management and terrorism prevention. Some states allege that they cannot even submit a request for reimbursement, because the system blocks them from doing so.
“As of February 28, 2025, at least 140 FEMA grants from at least twenty different FEMA grant programs have been frozen or otherwise rendered inaccessible,” the court filing said.
This lawsuit is led by James and the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, 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.
