Trump administration violated court order by pausing FEMA grants, judge rules

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) -A federal judge ruled on Friday that Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration violated a court order by halting Federal Emergency Management Agency's disbursement of millions of dollars in grant funding to states.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, sided with Democratic state attorneys general in finding that the funding pause violated his injunction blocking the administration's earlier sweeping pause of federal grants, loans and other financial aid.

Those attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia said that FEMA, despite the judge's past orders, had been continuing to halt disbursements since early February for a "manual review" of grants without any clear end date.

McConnell, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, said the preliminary injunction he issued had been "clear" and that FEMA faced no impediments to complying with the order.

"Thus, FEMA's manual review process violates the court's preliminary injunction order," McConnell said.

He ordered the agency, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to immediately cease the review process and comply with his order barring the funding freeze.

"Today's court order makes it unequivocally clear: the Trump administration's reckless effort to hold up millions in emergency funds is unlawful," California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement.

A Homeland Security official in a statement described the ruling as coming from an "activist judge" and said FEMA "will continue to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and for mission critical efforts."

The ruling came as concerns by Democrats and some legal observers mount over whether the Trump administration will comply with unfavorable court rulings with criticism of judges who block its agenda emanating from the White House escalating.

McConnell previously blocked the Trump administration from reissuing or adopting a sweeping freeze on $3 trillion in federal grants, loans and other financial aid first announced in a since-rescinded January 27 memo by the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

The memo directed agencies to temporarily pause spending on federal financial assistance programs while the administration reviewed grants and loans to ensure they are aligned with Trump's executive orders.

The state attorney general said despite McConnell's orders, grant funding from FEMA remained frozen, jeopardizing programs to address wildfires, floods and other threats.

They said the issue appeared tied to an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office on January 20 as part of his immigration crackdown that targeted so-called "sanctuary jurisdictions."

Such jurisdictions have laws that prevent state and local law enforcement from assisting federal civil immigration officers.

McConnell in Friday's ruling agreed with the states, pointing to a directive by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem restricting grants that "touch in any on immigration" as evidence FEMA was "covertly" implementing Trump's order.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Franklin Paul, Chizu Nomiyama and Diane Craft)