In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro has initiated legal action against federal agencies from the Trump administration, claiming that they are unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in federal aid previously sanctioned by Congress. Shapiro, representing Pennsylvania as a Democrat, aims to address what he describes as unconstitutional hindrances to the state’s funding.
The lawsuit, lodged in a federal court in Philadelphia, highlights the alleged disregard by federal agencies for court decisions that have consistently ruled against the prior administration’s extensive freeze on federal funding. Legal representatives for Shapiro contend that these agencies continue to defy judicial mandates that require the reinstatement of access to suspended financial resources.
Characterizing the agencies’ actions as “flagrantly lawless,” the lawsuit asserts that these governmental bodies lack the authority to unilaterally decline to allocate congressionally approved funds due to policy disagreements. Furthermore, the suit indicates that the agencies have failed to provide justifiable grounds for their ongoing suspension of funds.
Shapiro, along with his team and members of Congress, has made concerted efforts to restore access to these financial resources. According to the lawsuit, “Despite that work, and despite two temporary restraining orders requiring federal agencies to restore access to suspended funds,” federal agencies continue to refuse to provide funding that Pennsylvania is entitled to receive.
The suit includes federal entities such as the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of Energy, Interior, and Transportation, all of which have not issued immediate remarks regarding the lawsuit. Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior has stated that it does not comment on pending legal matters.
In January, the Trump administration issued a memo that halted federal grants and loans, citing the need for a review of whether these expenditures adhered to the administration’s executive orders focusing on climate change and diversity initiatives. This freeze precipitated significant disruption across various state programs.
Even though the memo was rescinded just two days later, funds intended for crucial services such as early childhood education and pollution control remained frozen, as highlighted by nearly two dozen states in a related federal lawsuit. A subsequent judicial ruling compelled the administration to “immediately take every step necessary” to reinstate all federal grants and loans, noting the administration’s failure to comply with an earlier directive, leading to a hasty appeal that was unsuccessful.
In Pennsylvania’s situation, the Shapiro administration asserts that approximately $2.5 billion in grants or reimbursements are currently either suspended or undergoing some form of undefined review without proper congressional authorization. The lack of transparency regarding this situation has been a point of contention.
The lawsuit also states that funding is being withheld from programs aimed at various state needs, including plugging abandoned gas wells, enhancing home energy efficiency, improving rural electrical services, and assisting industries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Shapiro’s legal team argues that the federal administration lacks the authority to impose new conditions on federal aid once a state has accepted it, and that funding cannot be withheld unless explicitly justified by legal or contractual stipulations between the state and federal entities. This withholding of funds, the lawsuit claims, violates the spending clause of the U.S. Constitution.
