25 States Sue Over FEMA Funding Conditions

A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia has sued the Trump administration, accusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of imposing unlawful conditions on disaster preparedness and homeland security grants. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Rhode Island, argues that the administration is requiring states to verify voter citizenship, adopt hand-marked paper ballots, conduct federally prescribed election audits, and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement to receive funding. The states estimate that FEMA could withhold at least 20% of Homeland Security Grant Program awards—about $148 million from the plaintiff states—and potentially terminate entire awards for noncompliance. The lawsuit challenges the administration's authority to impose these conditions, arguing that Congress allocated the funds for emergency preparedness and disaster response, not for enforcing federal policies on elections and immigration. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, who is co-leading the case, accused the administration of "threatening to jeopardize public safety by unlawfully withholding billions in critical funding." The lawsuit also challenges language that would permit FEMA to cancel grants that no longer align with the administration's changing priorities or view of the "national interest." The states argue that such authority would make multiyear federal awards unreliable and give the executive branch a way to redirect spending approved by Congress. A spokesperson for FEMA called the lawsuit an example of "partisan pushback" and said they expected "these left-wing politicians to oppose common-sense measures designed to protect election security and safeguard the integrity of American democracy." The lawsuit is one of many that have challenged the Trump administration's strategy of withholding funds until states follow its guidance. A similar effort to withhold other FEMA funding under conditions was struck down by courts last year.