Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted a motion to enforce the preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration. The action addresses ongoing disruptions to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, which impacts critical emergency preparedness and recovery programs. The Court ruled that FEMA's current freeze on funds violates the preliminary injunction order.

"Today’s court order makes it unequivocally clear: the Trump Administration’s reckless effort to hold up millions in emergency funds is unlawful," stated Attorney General Bonta. "We won’t stand idly by as we continue to see the Trump Administration breaking the law and will be closely monitoring to ensure that the Administration follows the court’s order and critical funds are released."

The legal action emerged from a January lawsuit filed by a coalition of 23 attorneys general, led by representatives from California, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Massachusetts. The lawsuit was in response to the Trump Administration's attempt to freeze up to $3 trillion in federal funding. The District Court of Rhode Island swiftly issued a temporary restraining order to block the freeze's implementation.

Despite initial successes in unfreezing billions through enforcement and a preliminary injunction, the Trump Administration allegedly continued to freeze millions in FEMA funds. The recent court order once again addresses these alleged unlawful acts.

The coalition of attorneys general includes representatives from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.