Judge blocks freeze on federal funding
by Dave Mason, The Center Square, March 7, 2025
(The Center Square) – A federal judge Thursday blocked the Trump administration from freezing up to $3 trillion in funding for federal agency grants, loans and other financial assistance.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted a preliminary injunction that was requested by attorneys general for 22 states and the District of Columbia.
The attorneys general sued the Trump administration Jan. 28 to prevent the funding freeze.
McConnell’s ruling extends a previous block that the federal court imposed with a temporary restraining order on Jan. 31.
In his written decision, McConnell accused the executive branch of placing itself above Congress, an equal branch of government.
The Trump administration can only take actions on funding if it’s authorized to do so by laws passed by Congress, McConnell said.
“The Executive’s categorical freeze of appropriated and obligated funds fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government,” the judge wrote.
McConnell's ruling was praised by the attorneys general in the suit, which was led by New York Attorney General Letia James.
Other plaintiffs are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
The prosecutors have accused the Trump administration of acting illegally and recklessly by imposing the cuts, which they noted in statements Thursday would have affected everything from community health centers to schools and resources for firefighters.
“Last month, the Trump administration chaotically implemented a sweeping federal funding freeze, halting access to billions of dollars in funds lawfully appropriated by Congress," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. "In doing so, it willfully ignored the immediate devastation a freeze would have on the health, safety and wellbeing of communities and businesses across the country.”
Bonta called McConnell’s ruling “an important victory for the rule of law and for the many programs throughout our state that rely on federal funding to carry out their mission.”
He vowed the attorneys general would continue to work to get a permanent ruling against the federal funding freeze.
California this year is expected to receive $168 billion in federal funding, or 34% of the state’s budget, according to Bonta’s office. That includes $107.5 billion in California’s Medicaid programs, which serve about 14.5 million Californians, including 5 million children and 2.3 million seniors and people with disabilities.
More than 9,000 full-time equivalent state jobs are federally funded in California, Bonta's office said.
The Trump administration's freeze on funding could have affected California's law enforcement, public safety, critical transportation infrastructure, water quality and workplace health and safety, according to Bonta's office. The attorney general's staff also cited Head Start, education services for students with disabilities and research projects at state universities as programs that depend on federal funding.
In Arizona, Attorney General Kim Mayes called the preliminary injunction a victory for her state’s residents.
“I won’t stand by while the Trump administration puts itself above Congress and withholds resources that families, public safety and health care providers depend on,” Mayes said.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said his state would have been devastated by federal cuts to everything from lifesaving health care to resources for firefighters.
Thursday’s preliminary injunction against the funding freeze was the second one issued by a federal judge. The first such injunction was imposed last month by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in another lawsuit in Washington, D.C. That suit was filed by a group of nonprofits.
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ATTORNEY GENERAL LOPEZ SECURES NATIONWIDE PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR DEFUNDING MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH INNOVATION RESEARCH
News Release 2025-34 from Office of Attorney General, March 5, 2025
HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general have secured a nationwide preliminary injunction in Massachusetts v. NIH. The order prevents the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from cutting billions of dollars in funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country regardless of whether their states have joined the lawsuit.
“As the court confirmed, the Trump administration’s attempt to cut lifesaving, essential scientific and medical research funding for public health institutions was as illegal as it was arbitrary,” said Attorney General Lopez. “Once again, the courts are sending a clear message that President Trump’s efforts to paralyze the government through arbitrary funding cuts are illegal. The people of Hawaiʻi rightfully expect that the federal administration will act lawfully, and my department will work to protect the interests of this state.”
“We sincerely appreciate the Attorney General’s efforts to obtain this injunction,” said University of Hawaiʻi Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis Syrmos. “NIH’s proposed drastic reduction of our facilities and administrative rate would result in the elimination of approximately $16.5M in funding that the University of Hawaiʻi uses to support its research programs and graduate students, including debt service payments for facilities that support translational research and clinical trials. As our state’s only medical school, JABSOM is required to do research that benefits our population. The level and quality of research cannot be sustained with the proposed cuts. The negative impact on communities in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere that already experience the highest rates of chronic disease, more severe health conditions, and shortened life expectancies, will be severe.”
The state of Hawaiʻi is represented in this litigation by Special Assistant to the Attorney General Dave Day and Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes, who added: “We are very pleased with this decision. The relief obtained in this case for the University of Hawaiʻi underscores the importance of standing up for the rule of law and the interests of Hawaiʻi against unlawful federal actions.”
The preliminary injunction protects critical funds that facilitate biomedical research, like lab, faculty, infrastructure, and utility costs. Without them, the lifesaving and life-changing medical research in which the United States has long been a leader, could be compromised.
On February 10, less than six hours after the coalition filed its lawsuit against the Administration, a judge in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order against NIH, barring its attempts to cut the critical research funding. Today’s order takes the place of the temporary restraining order and prevents the Trump Administration from cutting this important category of funding as the case proceeds. It will remain in effect until a final ruling is made.
The NIH is the primary source of federal funding for medical research in the United States. Medical research funding by NIH grants have led to innumerable scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of treatment for cancers of all types and the first sequencing of DNA. Additionally, dozens of NIH-supported scientists have earned Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking scientific work.
Joining Hawaiʻi in this coalition are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. This lawsuit is being co-led by the attorneys general of Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan.
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