Trump slammed for 'covertly' withholding FEMA funds from blue states [View all]

https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-slammed-for-covertly-withholding-fema-funds-from-blue-states/


(CN) — A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Trump administration had violated his order to halt sweeping freezes to federal funding by withholding Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to at least 19 states.

It seemed to be a “covert” effort to punish states with so-called sanctuary laws for immigrants, the judge said.

In March, U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a preliminary injunction in favor of 23 states that sued the government over its plan to implement a broad pause to state aid. The Barack Obama appointee ruled that the plan “fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government,” and ordered the Trump administration to “immediately end any funding pause” until further notice.

But on Friday, McConnell found the Trump administration in breach of the court’s order. At least 19 states — all with Democratic attorney generals, and all of which had sued to stop the funding cuts — “presented undisputed evidence” that they were not receiving congressionally approved FEMA funding from the federal government, the judge ruled.

Oregon claimed that more than $120 million in disaster relief assistance for winter storms, flooding, landslides, wildfires and flood mitigation remains frozen by FEMA. Hawaii said that the agency still hasn’t answered a roughly $6 million request for aid to rebuild after the 2023 wildfires in Maui.

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