PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A federal judge today blocked the Trump administration from abruptly freezing trillions of dollars in federal funds to the states, a move he said had resulted in “catastrophic consequences” across the country, hitting particularly hard on vulnerable populations.

The order came in a lawsuit filed by 23 states’ attorneys general, including Washington Attorney General Nick Brown.

Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted the preliminary injunction, concluding the states had demonstrated a high likelihood of success on their claims that the funding freeze policy is unlawful, explaining that the president cannot put himself above Congress.
 
“This is an important victory,” Brown said today. “The judge made clear this was a ham-handed, arbitrary, capricious, and fact-free attempt to circumvent the U.S. Constitution.”
 
The judge rejected the administration’s argument that the funding freeze was needed because of unspecified claims of widespread fraud.
 
“It is difficult to perceive any rationality in this decision — let alone thoughtful consideration of practical consequences — when these funding pauses endanger the States’ ability to provide vital services, including but not limited to public safety, health care, education, childcare, and transportation infrastructure,” the judge wrote.
 
The states submitted a myriad of examples to show how their residents were impacted when federal funds were abruptly cut off. The Trump administration, the judge wrote, “presented no answer, no evidence, and no counter to the States’ extensive evidence.”
 
The administration’s funding freeze policy came through an array of actions, including a Jan. 27 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget, that illegally withheld trillions of dollars in federal funds for states and community-based organizations, creating immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions in urban and rural areas who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds.
 
The court also required the administration to provide evidence of their compliance with regard to unfreezing Federal Emergency Management Agency funds by March 14 and to alert all agencies about the court’s order.
 
The lawsuit is led by the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Joining the lawsuit are 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.