Lawsuit challenges election rules tied to FEMA aid
More than two dozen states on Thursday filed a lawsuit in federal court in Rhode Island against the Trump administration over new requirements that states comply with election and immigration conditions to receive billions of dollars in federal disaster funding, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, led by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and a coalition of states, challenges policies adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The states argue the measures unlawfully attach conditions to federal money that Congress appropriated specifically for emergency management and disaster preparedness.
The administration is requiring states to alter their election systems and to assist DHS with immigration enforcement in order to access the funds, according to the complaint. The policies also give DHS the authority to terminate grants at any time and for any reason.
“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,” Neronha said in a statement. “This Administration is using the safety of Americans as collateral by attempting to bully the states into relinquishing their constitutional right to enact policies and laws that best serve their residents.”