February 7: Attorney General Neronha files motion to enforce a court order to unfreeze federal funding
Attorney General Neronha co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing a motion for enforcement of their ongoing lawsuit against President Trump over his administration’s funding freeze. The freeze would put an indefinite pause on the majority of federal funding and financial assistance, jeopardizing vital programs that support families, promote public safety, and provide essential services to communities nationwide.
Citing evidence of ongoing disruptions impacting disbursements to states and federal funds that remain blocked under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) despite the court’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), the coalition also seeks to enforce the TRO to require the Trump Administration to disperse these funds. The motion further highlights the harm states face if funds under the IRA and the IIJA are not allocated as required by statute.
“As long as this Administration continues to break the law, we will continue our fight to uphold it,” said Attorney General Neronha. “When Judge McConnell granted our TRO last Friday, he ordered the resumption of all federal funding that had been previously severed by the Administration’s new OMB policy. And yet, since then, states and federal funding recipients across the country have reported trouble accessing their congressionally allocated funds. These lingering funding pauses are not coincidental. So let me be as crystal clear as Judge McConnell’s order: we’re not interested in playing these games, especially when it comes to funding programs that Americans rely on to survive and thrive.”
Due to ongoing disruptions impacting disbursements to states despite the court’s TRO, efforts that bolster clean energy investments, transportation, infrastructure, and ensure critical health care, among others, have been put at risk. This includes some Brown University public health research endeavors funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One project researching dementia care was scheduled for renewal review with the NIH on February 3, but that morning, the NIH notified Brown that they were canceling the meeting to review Brown’s renewal application. Other ongoing research at Brown that relies on federal funding includes projects to improve children’s nutrition and prevent coronary heart disease.
Without access to federal financial assistance, many states could face immediate cash shortfalls, making it difficult to administer basic programs. For example, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has several projects that rely on federal funding, including grants that support local farmers, improve access to fresh and local produce, and provide food access for underserved, low-income communities in Rhode Island. If its funding continues to stay frozen, DEM cannot administer these programs, pay their contractual obligations, or support payroll for a number of staff.
This lawsuit is led by Attorney General Neronha and the attorneys general of California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. 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 are also involved.
Attorney General Neronha applauds Judge McConnell’s granting of motion to enforce funding freeze order
Attorney General Peter Neronha today issued the following statement applauding Judge McConnell’s granting of the Office’s motion for enforcement of an ongoing lawsuit against President Trump over his administration’s funding freeze.
“Judge McConnell’s ruling in our favor was swift and unsurprising. As the Court noted, the ‘broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,’ and that ‘these pauses in funding violate the plain text of the TRO.’
“Judge McConnell’s Order confirmed what we have been saying from the beginning. It is now time for the Administration to come into full compliance. This is a country of laws. We expect the Administration to follow the law. Our Office and attorneys general across the country stand ready to keep careful watch on the actions of this Administration that follow, and we will not hesitate to go back to Court if they don’t comply.”
The Court ordered that the Defendants “immediately restore frozen funding” and end all federal funding pauses. The Court emphasizes the Defendants “must comply with the plain text of the TRO” and “immediately restore withheld funds, including those federal funds appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act,” as well as “resume the funding of institutes and other agencies of the Defendants (for example the National Institute for Health) that are included in the scope of the Court’s TRO.”
A January 31, 2025 Press Release from the Rhode Island Attorney General' Office:
Attorney General Neronha co-leads a multistate coalition to block the Trump Administration from freezing essential federal funding
Attorney General Neronha today released the following statement after a Rhode Island court granted a motion filed by his office and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general to halt the implementation of a new Trump administration policy that would block federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs:
“I am grateful for Judge McConnell’s careful consideration of this matter and for seeing the irreparable harm that this directive would cause, and frankly has already caused, Americans across the country,” said Attorney General Neronha. “As we allege in our complaint, the Executive Branch does not have the authority to intercept crucially important federal funding that Congress has already allocated to the states and on which Americans rely. This directive targets public safety, health care, veterans’ services, childcare, disaster relief, and countless other cornerstones of American life. Make no mistake: this federal funding pause was implemented to inspire fear and chaos, and it was successful in that respect. These tactics are intended to wear us down, but with each legal victory we reaffirm that these significant and unlawful disruptions won’t be tolerated, and will certainly be met with swift and immediate action now and in the future.”
Today, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted the coalition’s request for a temporary restraining order, halting the implementation of the administration’s policy. This temporary restraining order extends beyond the January 28 administrative stay granted by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in response to a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal funds.
The proposed policy, issued by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on January 27, would indefinitely pause most federal assistance, jeopardizing funds for health care, education, law enforcement, disaster relief, infrastructure, and more. On January 28, Attorney General Neronha and 22 other attorneys general sued to immediately stop the enforcement of the OMB policy and preserve trillions of dollars in essential funding.
While the administration has attempted to rescind the policy, states, and organizations that receive federal funding, continue to experience major disruptions. Following OMB’s issuance of the policy, Medicaid funds in multiple states were frozen. Head Start programs across the country were cut off from funds, leading some childcare centers to close. Despite the District Court for the District of Columbia’s stay, disruptions to critical funds are continuing across the country.
The attorneys general of Rhode Island, New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey led the lawsuit. 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 also joined the lawsuit.
February 7: Attorney General Neronha files motion to enforce a court order to unfreeze federal funding
Attorney General Neronha co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing a motion for enforcement of their ongoing lawsuit against President Trump over his administration’s funding freeze. The freeze would put an indefinite pause on the majority of federal funding and financial assistance, jeopardizing vital programs that support families, promote public safety, and provide essential services to communities nationwide.
Citing evidence of ongoing disruptions impacting disbursements to states and federal funds that remain blocked under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) despite the court’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), the coalition also seeks to enforce the TRO to require the Trump Administration to disperse these funds. The motion further highlights the harm states face if funds under the IRA and the IIJA are not allocated as required by statute.
“As long as this Administration continues to break the law, we will continue our fight to uphold it,” said Attorney General Neronha. “When Judge McConnell granted our TRO last Friday, he ordered the resumption of all federal funding that had been previously severed by the Administration’s new OMB policy. And yet, since then, states and federal funding recipients across the country have reported trouble accessing their congressionally allocated funds. These lingering funding pauses are not coincidental. So let me be as crystal clear as Judge McConnell’s order: we’re not interested in playing these games, especially when it comes to funding programs that Americans rely on to survive and thrive.”
Due to ongoing disruptions impacting disbursements to states despite the court’s TRO, efforts that bolster clean energy investments, transportation, infrastructure, and ensure critical health care, among others, have been put at risk. This includes some Brown University public health research endeavors funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One project researching dementia care was scheduled for renewal review with the NIH on February 3, but that morning, the NIH notified Brown that they were canceling the meeting to review Brown’s renewal application. Other ongoing research at Brown that relies on federal funding includes projects to improve children’s nutrition and prevent coronary heart disease.
Without access to federal financial assistance, many states could face immediate cash shortfalls, making it difficult to administer basic programs. For example, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has several projects that rely on federal funding, including grants that support local farmers, improve access to fresh and local produce, and provide food access for underserved, low-income communities in Rhode Island. If its funding continues to stay frozen, DEM cannot administer these programs, pay their contractual obligations, or support payroll for a number of staff.
This lawsuit is led by Attorney General Neronha and the attorneys general of California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. 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 are also involved.
Attorney General Neronha applauds Judge McConnell’s granting of motion to enforce funding freeze order
Attorney General Peter Neronha today issued the following statement applauding Judge McConnell’s granting of the Office’s motion for enforcement of an ongoing lawsuit against President Trump over his administration’s funding freeze.
“Judge McConnell’s ruling in our favor was swift and unsurprising. As the Court noted, the ‘broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,’ and that ‘these pauses in funding violate the plain text of the TRO.’
“Judge McConnell’s Order confirmed what we have been saying from the beginning. It is now time for the Administration to come into full compliance. This is a country of laws. We expect the Administration to follow the law. Our Office and attorneys general across the country stand ready to keep careful watch on the actions of this Administration that follow, and we will not hesitate to go back to Court if they don’t comply.”
The Court ordered that the Defendants “immediately restore frozen funding” and end all federal funding pauses. The Court emphasizes the Defendants “must comply with the plain text of the TRO” and “immediately restore withheld funds, including those federal funds appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act,” as well as “resume the funding of institutes and other agencies of the Defendants (for example the National Institute for Health) that are included in the scope of the Court’s TRO.”
A January 31, 2025 Press Release from the Rhode Island Attorney General' Office:
Attorney General Neronha co-leads a multistate coalition to block the Trump Administration from freezing essential federal funding
Attorney General Neronha today released the following statement after a Rhode Island court granted a motion filed by his office and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general to halt the implementation of a new Trump administration policy that would block federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs:
“I am grateful for Judge McConnell’s careful consideration of this matter and for seeing the irreparable harm that this directive would cause, and frankly has already caused, Americans across the country,” said Attorney General Neronha. “As we allege in our complaint, the Executive Branch does not have the authority to intercept crucially important federal funding that Congress has already allocated to the states and on which Americans rely. This directive targets public safety, health care, veterans’ services, childcare, disaster relief, and countless other cornerstones of American life. Make no mistake: this federal funding pause was implemented to inspire fear and chaos, and it was successful in that respect. These tactics are intended to wear us down, but with each legal victory we reaffirm that these significant and unlawful disruptions won’t be tolerated, and will certainly be met with swift and immediate action now and in the future.”
Today, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted the coalition’s request for a temporary restraining order, halting the implementation of the administration’s policy. This temporary restraining order extends beyond the January 28 administrative stay granted by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in response to a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal funds.
The proposed policy, issued by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on January 27, would indefinitely pause most federal assistance, jeopardizing funds for health care, education, law enforcement, disaster relief, infrastructure, and more. On January 28, Attorney General Neronha and 22 other attorneys general sued to immediately stop the enforcement of the OMB policy and preserve trillions of dollars in essential funding.
While the administration has attempted to rescind the policy, states, and organizations that receive federal funding, continue to experience major disruptions. Following OMB’s issuance of the policy, Medicaid funds in multiple states were frozen. Head Start programs across the country were cut off from funds, leading some childcare centers to close. Despite the District Court for the District of Columbia’s stay, disruptions to critical funds are continuing across the country.
The attorneys general of Rhode Island, New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey led the lawsuit. 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 also joined the lawsuit.
Thank you, as usual, for providing full texts and sources so I don't have to go finding them myself, which is generally the case.