Mar. 6, 2025
Las Vegas, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general won a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration to block its illegal policy that would freeze funding for essential federal agency grants, loans and other financial assistance programs. Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island today granted the preliminary injunction after AG Ford and the coalition sued the Trump administration to stop the funding freeze.
“I say again what I’ve said before: President Trump is free to implement his policies, but he must do so lawfully. When he does not, I will meet and beat him in court,” said AG Ford. “His unlawful funding freeze would harm Nevadans and programs in every corner of our state, including law enforcement support, victim services and drug interdiction programs. I am proud of this win, and I will continue to fight any effort to harm our Nevada family.”
The administration’s funding freeze policy, issued through an array of actions, including a January 27 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), illegally withheld trillions of dollars in federal funds for states and other entities like nonprofit organizations and community health centers. The policy caused immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds.
AG Ford and the coalition sued the administration over the freeze on January 28, and on January 31, the court granted the attorneys general’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the freeze’s implementation until further order from the court. On February 7, Attorney General Ford and the coalition filed motions for enforcement and a preliminary injunction to stop the illegal freeze and preserve federal funding that families, communities, and states rely on.
On February 8, the court granted the motion for enforcement, ordering the administration to immediately comply with the TRO and stop freezing federal funds. On February 28, AG Ford and the coalition filed a second motion for enforcement seeking to stop the Trump administration from freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to the states from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted AG Ford and the coalition’s request for a preliminary injunction, halting the implementation of the administration’s policy. The court concluded that the states had demonstrated a high likelihood of success on their claims that the actions making up the funding freeze policy were unlawful. In today’s order, the court also required the administration to provide evidence of their compliance with regard to unfreezing FEMA funds by March 14 and to alert all agencies about the Court’s order.
Joining AG Ford in this lawsuit are the co-lead attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, as well as the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
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