A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot impose new conditions tied to its agenda on specific grants for mass transit and homeless services. This decision, announced on Wednesday, affects local governments from Seattle to New York City, which have been challenging these conditions worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Judge Barbara Rothstein, appointed by former President Carter, issued a temporary order that blocks the government from enforcing measures meant to advance key elements of Trump’s second-term agenda, particularly efforts targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as well as restricting access to legal abortion information and increasing deportations.
In a court filing, opponents of the conditions noted that jurisdictions were faced with a difficult choice: accept terms they deemed unconstitutional or risk losing significant federal funding, which could impact essential programs and their budgets.
Rothstein remarked that the plaintiffs were essentially coerced into choosing between their beliefs and the threat of losing crucial funding, including money that had already been allocated for specific uses.
The Trump administration contended that the lawsuit was simply a contract dispute and should have been handled in federal claims court. However, the judge dismissed this argument, stating that the plaintiffs were asserting statutory and constitutional rights rather than merely contract claims, and thus could not be redirected to another venue for relief.
The ruling prevents the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Federal Transportation Administration from enforcing these new conditions or withholding funds for a period of 14 days, allowing local authorities to seek further long-term relief.
Various cities, including Boston, New York City, and San Francisco, as well as Santa Clara County in California and Pierce and Snohomish Counties in Washington, have filed lawsuits to contest the conditions on homeless services grants. Additionally, King County, which includes Seattle, is seeking changes to the grant status related to both homeless services and mass transit funding.
