A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary injunction preventing the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in federal funds earmarked for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in 14 states, including California, New York, Illinois, and Washington.
U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Seattle ruled that the plaintiff states are likely to succeed in their lawsuit alleging that the Transportation Department acted unlawfully in suspending a $5 billion EV charging program created under the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden. The decision gives the administration seven days to appeal before the ruling takes effect.
Judge Lin’s order follows the Trump administration’s February move to halt the EV funding program and revoke previously approved state spending plans. Her injunction applies to 14 states that provided evidence of imminent harm but excludes others like the District of Columbia, Minnesota, and Vermont, which also joined the lawsuit but did not show such risk.
“The administration cannot dismiss programs illegally, like the bipartisan Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program, just so that the President’s Big Oil friends can continue basking in record-breaking profits,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta following the decision.
The coalition of states argued that the funding freeze would undercut efforts to expand EV access, curb emissions, and support local green economies. Lin found that the plaintiffs had already allocated resources in reliance on federal support, exposing them to significant losses.
Republican lawmakers have introduced several measures to roll back EV policies. This includes a May bill in the House of Representatives to eliminate the $7,500 EV tax credit and reverse vehicle emissions standards that encourage EV production. Additionally, the General Services Administration in March halted new federal EV charging station installations and said it would deactivate existing stations not considered mission critical.
Source: Reuters