RI, Mass. Sue Trump Administration Over Freeze in Federal Funding

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued a memo describing a temporary pause in federal grant, loan and other financial assistance programs

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at a press conference in Boston on June 8, 2023.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at a press conference in Boston on June 8, 2023.
Credit: Jodi Hilton / Special to The Public’s Radio
Share
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at a press conference in Boston on June 8, 2023.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at a press conference in Boston on June 8, 2023.
Credit: Jodi Hilton / Special to The Public’s Radio
RI, Mass. Sue Trump Administration Over Freeze in Federal Funding
Copy

Attorneys General Peter Neronha of Rhode Island and Andrea Campbell of Massachusetts have joined a coalition of other AGs in suing the Trump Administration over its sudden freeze in federal spending via grants, loans and other avenues.

“What a ham-handed way to run the government,” Neronha said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

In total, attorneys general from 22 states and Washington, D.C. joined the lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island on Tuesday. They described the executive branch’s freezing of federal funds as “unconstitutional,” “unlawful” and “reckless.”

“The president’s directive to pause federal aid, simply put, violates the separation of powers,” Campbell said. Massachusetts, she said, received more than $20 billion in federal funding last year.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

McKee discusses legal advice behind withholding the audit, the bridge’s ongoing case and the impact on Rhode Island’s infrastructure recovery
More than 11,000 Rhode Islanders work for the federal government, and thousands of households rely on programs such as WIC and SNAP. As the shutdown begins, an economics professor warns it could strain families and local businesses.
Brown University Health will add 40,000 primary care patients to secure approval for its physicians group merger
Trump defends using troops in U.S. cities; Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island calls plan ‘dangerous’