RI AG, 22 Other AGs File Lawsuit Against White House's Federal Funding Freeze

RHODE ISLAND — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is co-leading a coalition of 23 attorney generals in filing a lawsuit to stop the implementation of President Donald Trump's administration's federal funding freeze.

The new policy, issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), was expected to put an indefinite pause on the majority of federal assistance to states — though the policy was temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Tuesday night. Neronha said the policy would jeopardize state programs that provide critical health and childcare services to families in need, deliver support to public schools, combat hate crimes and violence against women, provide life-saving disaster relief to states, and more.

"Any pause to federal funding programs would have immediate and catastrophic effects for Rhode Islanders and Americans everywhere," Neronha said. "Such a pause, which OMB announced last night without a definitive end, would result in financial chaos for everyday programs on which people rely to survive, including programs related to health care and food for children. States everywhere receive billions in federal grants that support public safety, education, transportation, the environment, and more. If this funding pause is allowed, its devastating impact will be widespread and dangerous, as these programs touch many Americans in one way or another, whether they realize it or not."

The OMB policy, issued late on January 27, directs all federal agencies to indefinitely pause the majority of federal assistance funding and loans to states and other entities beginning at 5:00 pm today, January 28. As Attorney General Neronha and the coalition note in their lawsuit, OMB’s policy has caused immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds. Essential community health centers, addiction and mental health treatment programs, services for people with disabilities, and other critical health services are jeopardized by OMB’s policy.

Attorney General Neronha and the coalition also argue that jeopardizing state funds will put Americans in danger by depriving law enforcement of much-needed resources. OMB’s policy would pause support for the U.S. Department of Justice's initiatives to combat hate crimes and violence against women, support community policing, and provide services to victims of crimes. In addition, Attorney General Neronha and the coalition of attorneys general note that the OMB policy calls into question critical highway funding, including funding that the state would rely on for rebuilding the Washington Bridge and other important projects.

The White House so far has offered few details about the scope of the freeze. While the full effect on Rhode Island programs is unclear, the OMB policy said Medicare and Social Security benefits are unaffected by the pause. But it’s unclear if Medicaid, food stamps, disaster assistance and other programs are affected. Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are supposed to be halted.

This lawsuit was led by the attorneys general of Rhode Island, New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. 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.

Also read: Federal Funding Freeze: How White House Order Could Affect RI