California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the California Energy Commission (CEC) have led a coalition of 17 attorneys general and the State of Pennsylvania in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The suit challenges the administration’s decision to halt funding for two federal grant programs supporting electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
The coalition alleges that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has stopped approving new funding under the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program (CFI) and the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program. These programs were established by Congress through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA).
“The Trump Administration’s illegal attempt to stop funding for electric vehicle infrastructure must come to an end,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “This is just another reckless attempt that will stall the fight against air pollution and climate change, slow innovation, thwart green job creation, and leave communities without access to clean, affordable transportation. While the Administration is busy finding ways for their Big Oil donors to profit, California will continue to fight for its people, environment, and innovation.”
Governor Gavin Newsom stated: “The Trump Administration is unlawfully withholding funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — investments Congress approved to build America’s EV charging network, reduce pollution, and create thousands of good-paying jobs. We won’t stand for it. California will defend the Constitution, our communities, and the future we’re building. With 2.4 million zero-emission vehicles on our roads and critical projects ready to move forward, we’re taking this to court.”
David Hochschild, Chair of CEC added: “California is committed to continuing to scale up electric vehicles and ensure a reliable and affordable EV charging network for all. By doing this, we can help reduce air pollution and increase our energy independence. Our state has made great progress and now has more public EV charge plugs than we have gasoline nozzles. We expect the bipartisan-approved federal funding to continue to support this important infrastructure.”
Dina El-Tawansy, Director of Caltrans said: “These grant programs are critical to building a sustainable modern transportation network in California. The electric vehicle charging funding they provide will enhance freight movement, improve convenience for drivers, and accelerate California’s mission to build a cleaner and more reliable system for all travelers.”
Congress passed IIJA in 2022 as part of efforts aimed at improving national infrastructure such as EV charging networks over five years. Both CFI ($2.5 billion discretionary fund) and Accelerator programs direct significant resources toward states like California for building or repairing EV chargers needed along freight corridors or around major ports.
USDOT has not approved new obligations under these programs since spring 2025 according to state officials—a move which impacts $179.8 million allocated specifically for California agencies’ charger deployment projects.
State leaders say this suspension delays planned station construction across key transit routes; $59.3 million was awarded via CFI for Caltrans’ medium- & heavy-duty vehicle corridor project; $55.9 million went from CFI through CEC toward zero-emission freight transport; $63.1 million was set aside via Accelerator program grants intended for charger repairs.
Accordingly, today’s legal complaint asserts that refusing congressional appropriations violates both constitutional separation-of-powers principles as well as statutory obligations under federal law—calling on courts not only declare these actions unlawful but also require USDOT resume distributing appropriated funds.
Attorney General Bonta co-led this action with counterparts from Washington state & Colorado; additional signatories include attorneys general from Arizona, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island Vermont Wisconsin—and Pennsylvania.
A copy of the lawsuit is available here.