24 States Sue Trump Over Conditions Tied to Disaster Relief Funding

More than two dozen US states filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration, challenging a policy that ties billions of dollars in federal disaster relief funding to compliance with election and immigration requirements. The suit was filed in Rhode Island and names the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as defendants.

What the Conditions Require

The administration's policy demands that states overhaul their election systems before receiving disaster funding. Specifically, states must transition to paper-ballot voting, conduct manual audits of their voting systems, and verify the citizenship of every registered voter in their databases. States that do not comply risk losing at least 20% of their Homeland Security Grant Program funding — money used to protect citizens from cyberattacks and terrorism.

The conditions also require states to cooperate with DHS immigration enforcement efforts and allow the department to terminate grants at any time and for any reason.

States Call It Unlawful Coercion

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha framed the lawsuit in stark terms. "Once again, the Trump Administration is threatening to jeopardize public safety by unlawfully withholding billions in critical funding and once again, they won't get away with it," he said.

The states argue that attaching these conditions to congressionally appropriated funding violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the spending clause of the US Constitution. The lawsuit is the latest in a long series of legal challenges to the administration's practice of leveraging federal dollars to compel states to adopt its immigration and election priorities.

Courts Have Repeatedly Blocked This Strategy

Federal courts have consistently ruled against the administration on similar efforts. Last year, a judge barred Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from cutting off highway funds to states that refused to cooperate with immigration enforcement. A second ruling blocked DHS from redirecting funding away from states it deemed unsupportive of the administration's agenda.

The Trump administration has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that it has legitimate authority to ensure states are complying with federal requirements. A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.