Nearly two dozen Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration, challenging new conditions placed on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funds that require states to verify voter citizenship and cooperate with immigration enforcement.
The lawsuit, led by attorneys general from California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, argues that the conditions are unlawful and exceed the authority granted by Congress. The states contend that the administration is using federal grants as leverage to push policy objectives unrelated to emergency management.
“Congress never gave DHS or FEMA authority to rewrite state election law, require cooperation with federal immigration agents, or terminate federal funding streams at any time and for any reason,” the states wrote in their complaint.
The new conditions mark an escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to tie federal funding to compliance with its policy priorities, particularly around election integrity and immigration enforcement. Since returning to office, Trump has sought to pressure blue states by attaching conditions to longstanding grant programs. This approach has been a key front in his push to strengthen proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting, as seen in recent legislative battles like the voter ID bill stalled in the Senate.
The lawsuit references a prior court ruling that found FEMA had unlawfully tied grants to immigration conditions, as well as a separate ruling that invalidated an attempt to redirect millions in funds. Despite these legal setbacks, the states argue that the administration has persisted in its “campaign of coercion.”
“Apparently undeterred by these judgments, DHS and FEMA have continued their campaign of coercion, imposing a raft of new conditions on the same grant programs,” the lawsuit states.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul criticized the administration’s actions at a press conference, saying, “President Trump refuses to listen to the courts when they tell him that he cannot exceed the authority of his office, and he cannot extort states into doing what he wants.”
The new conditions require states to verify citizenship in their voter rolls to continue accessing one of FEMA’s largest funding streams. The states described the system as “faulty” and argued that it would disrupt emergency preparedness efforts. This legal challenge adds to a broader pattern of conflict between the administration and Democratic-led states over federal funding, including disputes over energy policy and data center costs.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys general from California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, joined by 19 other states, the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The Hill has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
As the administration continues to face legal pushback, the case highlights the ongoing tensions over the use of federal grants to enforce policy changes on states. The outcome could have significant implications for how the federal government can condition funding on state-level compliance with administration priorities.
