Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Freeze on Climate, Infrastructure Grants

A federal judge on April 15 blocked the Trump administration from freezing the disbursement of funds for climate and infrastructure grants, finding that the pause in disbursing funds was illegal. Nonprofits suing the administration over the freeze presented evidence that the indefinite freeze of already-awarded money was arbitrary and capricious, in contravention of federal law, U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy said in a 63-page ruling that entered a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and five other agencies. Officials with the agencies earlier this year froze funds awarded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, two laws passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden. They cited President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 order that directed all agencies to pause the disbursement of money through the laws in order to review whether the funds were consistent with the law and with Trump’s agenda....