MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul and a multistate coalition secured a court order on Thursday that blocks the Trump Administration from withholding federal road and highway funding in its attempt to strongarm states into advancing the Trump administration’s agenda.
“Transportation funding should be used to improve transportation, not leveraged to try to steamroll states into furthering a separate policy goal of the Trump administration,” said AG Kaul. “This order preliminarily stops this Trump administration effort that is outside its authority under federal law and the Constitution.”
The preliminary injunction granted by a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island prohibits the Trump Administration from implementing its plan to require states and state agencies to assist with federal immigration efforts or lose access to funding used for transportation infrastructure and safety. The coalition states rely upon DOT funding for critical infrastructure projects, including highway development, airport safety, traffic accident prevention, and rail safety.
The preliminary injunction stems from a case AG Kaul and a coalition of attorneys general brought against the U.S. Department of Transportation and DOT Secretary Sean Duffy. Joining AG Kaul in bringing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont.
View this press release on the DOJ website here.
