Mercer Times

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, along with a coalition of 22 other attorneys general, secured a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration's policy of freezing federal funds. The decision was made by Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. This action follows a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Platkin and his coalition aimed at halting the funding freeze.

"From the beginning, we have made clear that President Trump’s federal funding freeze was blatantly illegal – and now a federal judge has agreed with us and granted a preliminary injunction," stated Attorney General Platkin. He further emphasized that the funding freeze was "unlawful, but also cruel and wrong," affecting Medicaid, disaster relief funding, and drug-trafficking enforcement efforts.

The policy in question involved withholding trillions of dollars in federal funds through various actions, including a memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget dated January 27. The immediate impact created uncertainty for Americans dependent on state programs funded federally.

After filing suit on January 28, Platkin and his coalition received a temporary restraining order (TRO) on January 31 to block the freeze until further court decisions were made. Subsequent motions for enforcement and preliminary injunctions were filed to prevent the implementation of this policy.

The court has now granted their request for a preliminary injunction, stopping the administration's policy from being enforced. The court's order mandates that evidence must be provided by March 14 regarding compliance with unfreezing FEMA funds, as well as notifying all relevant agencies about this order.

The lawsuit is spearheaded by attorneys general from New Jersey, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island with support from their counterparts in several other states including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon Vermont Washington Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.