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Trump Administration Non-Adherence to Court Orders [1]
['Xaver Clarke']
Date: 2025-02-10 19:36:06+00:00
Blog Post | February 10, 2025
Tracking the Trump administration’s failure to follow the judiciary’s orders.
Last updated: February 11, 2025
On January 27, the Trump administration issued a memo ordering a freeze of federal grants and loans, which crippled critical services across the country. Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island have since blocked the spending pause from going into effect, but there are still numerous examples of shuttered programs and services. We are tracking notable examples. (See also this resource from American Bridge.)
We will also track what efforts the courts take to enforce their orders. As the Federal Judicial Center notes, “the contempt power has remained an important mechanism by which the federal judiciary protects its dignity and authority.” But this power must be wielded lest judicial dignity and authority disappear.
From Judge AliKhan’s order:
“Defendants are enjoined from implementing, giving effect to, or reinstating under a different name the directives in OMB Memorandum M-25-13 with respect to the disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards.”
From Judge McConnell’s order:
“Defendants shall not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate Defendants’ compliance with awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and Defendants shall not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.”
The coalition of states that filed their lawsuit in Rhode Island filed a motion on Friday asking Judge McConnell to enforce his restraining order against the spending freeze, writing, “Despite the Court’s order, Defendants [the Trump Administration] have failed to resume disbursing federal funds in multiple respects.” On Monday, Judge McConnell agreed with the states that the Trump administration was violating his order and again ordered that the administration comply.
RDP will continue to track these developments as they occur. Please contact us with additional info at [email protected].
Emergency Management
According to NBC News, on February 10 a “senior official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency” ordered a funding freeze “for a wide array of grant programs.” The order to continue the illegal funding freeze came hours after Judge McConnell ordered—for a second time—that the administration resume funding for grant programs.
Climate Funding
As of February 5, Trump’s EPA is refusing to disperse already-awarded grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, in apparent defiance of Judge AliKhan and Judge McConnell’s orders.
A climate pollution reduction project in Ohio, estimated to create 200 jobs, remains in limbo after the freeze paused a $139 million grant.
Solar For All, a $7 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) program to deliver solar to low-income and disadvantaged households, remains frozen.
Rhode Island was unable to access $125 million in IRA awards as late as the evening of February 7.
Nevada clean energy programs have been locked out of hundreds of millions in IRA funding.
Foreign Aid
Global clinical trials reliant on USAID funding have stopped work and left thousands of people without care.
As late as February 5, hundreds of organizations across sub-Saharan Africa reported shutting down their programs which relied on PEPFAR for HIV treatments, despite a memo from the State Department clarifying an exemption from the foreign aid pause.
On February 10, USAID workers told a judge that the administration was continuing to tear down the agency in defiance of a court order, including failing to reinstate employees that the judge had ordered must be reinstated.
On February 11, NOTUS reported that, despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserting that foreign aid groups that received stop-work orders could obtain waivers, few waivers had been issued, and many groups that obtained waivers still had significant trouble accessing funding.
Community Health Centers
As of February 4, sixteen of Virginia’s community health centers have been unable to access federal grant money used to pay staff. The freeze caused several closures and resulted in patient transfers to open locations
Health centers in California and Virginia received notifications of the termination of federal grants related to HIV prevention care.
Electric Vehicle Programs
On February 6, the Department of Transportation sent out a memo suspending its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, stopping $5 billion in funding for charging station installations from reaching states.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said money for bridge repairs and electric charger projects have been blocked by the spending freeze.
Head Start
As of February 4, Head Start programs across the country are still waiting for federal funding, despite promises from the Trump administration that the funding freeze would not affect the program.
Non-Profits
Non-profit organizations in West Virginia announced layoffs and scaled back operations as a result of the spending freeze.
As of January 31, several Vermont non-profit organizations were unable to pay staff or were forced to layoff employees because federal funds were inaccessible.
Farmers
After spending millions up front for planting and renewable energy projects, farmers have been left on the hook after the freeze halted USDA loans and grants guaranteed to cover the costs.
Government Employees
On February 10, unions representing federal workers filed a notice of non-compliance, alleging that employees placed on administrative leave have yet to be reinstated to their positions, despite a DC District judge’s order issued the previous week.
Health Research
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