A federal judge from Rhode Island, at the center of the controversy, directed the Trump administration on Friday to face a legal setback and lift the suspension on federal funding.
US District Judge John McConnell mandated the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to freeze federal funds to the state after claiming that the plaintiffs did not adhere to previous court directives.
The lawsuit was initially filed by 22 states along with the District of Columbia, contesting the Trump administration’s move to halt funding programs like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other ecological initiatives.
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A federal judge in Rhode Island, now central to the situation, instructed the administration on Friday to confront a legal setback regarding the freeze on federal funds. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Plaintiffs in the case, which include New York, California, Illinois, and Rhode Island, claimed that FEMA’s manual review process was breached by the judges’ prior temporary injunction issued by MCCONNELL. The state contended that the review effectively creates a suspension or freeze on the specific funding type.
The defendants, comprising President Donald Trump and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), contended that the review did not breach the directive, stating that “FEMA operates under its own independent authority to execute the process instead of following the OMB memo.”
McConnell determined that the plaintiffs “provided evidence that FEMA is covertly executing its executive order from January 20, 2025, based on this manual review method.”
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“The court will uphold the temporary injunction,” McConnell noted.
McConnell issued a restraining order in late January preventing the defendants from halting federal funds. This followed the OMB’s announcement on January 27 regarding its plan to temporarily suspend federal grants and loans. The White House later revoked the memo on January 29th.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) officially filed a complaint against District Judge John McConnell on March 24th. (Getty Images)
Nonetheless, White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt stated that this action does not signify a “reinstatement of a federal funds freeze.”
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Following McConnell’s order for the administration to adhere to the restraining order, the government lodged an appeal to the First Circuit, which declined to uphold the order.
McConnell recently received media attention after emerging as one of several federal judges affected in the situation.
“Judge McConnell’s actions are corrupt, dangerous, and worthy of scrutiny,” Clyde expressed to Fox News Digital. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images)
Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde filed a complaint against McConnell on February 24th, presented on March 24th.
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The complaint, first shared with Fox News Digital, accused McConnell of overreach and having conflicts of interest, claiming that he “intentionally politicized and weaponized his judicial role to promote his own political ideologies and beliefs.”
“Americans overwhelmingly backed President Trump in November, delivering a clear mandate to enhance the efficiency of the federal government,” Clyde shared with Fox News Digital. “However, Judge McConnell, who benefits from his own injunction, is single-handedly hindering the president’s agenda and attempting to disregard the will of the American populace. Judge McConnell’s actions are corrupt, dangerous, and deserving of criticism.”
Diana Stancy of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
