The Trump administration’s EV charging suspension draws a lawsuit from US states. A​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ group of 16 US states and the District of Columbia has filed a complaint in federal court, claiming the federal government unconstitutionally stopped essential funding for electric vehicle infrastructure.

The lawsuit targets the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the suspension of two significant grant programs established under the bipartisan 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and which endangers billions of dollars of investments to build out EV charging networks nationwide.

Legal Challenge to Federal Action

The complaint was lodged in the U.S. District Court. The attorneys general of California, Washington, and Colorado, along with the other states and the District of Columbia, are leading this matter. The plaintiffs argue that the refusal of the USDOT to approve new expenditures under the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant Program and the EV Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program is beyond the authority of the executive branch and contradicts federal law.

The complaint explains that federal agencies are legally bound to carry out laws passed by Congress and that the act of withholding that money, which the lawmakers have appropriated, is an affront to the separation of powers the U.S. Constitution reserves for the different branches of government.

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States Warn of Broader Impacts

Leading politicians and government officers from the US states believe that the halt in funding only postpones the arrival of the E-mobility era, has negative impacts on the job market, and makes it hard for the government to reach its climate targets. Rob Bonta, California Attorney General, said that there are so many different areas to be covered by building projects like infrastructure along freight corridors and community charging access that will be affected by the withdrawal of the federal government.

Moreover, the plaintiff states have expressed concerns over the overall policy that the Trump administration has been hostile to electric vehicles, besides the EV tax credits repeal and the proposal of weaker fuel economy standards, which in turn would create more obstacles in the clean transport transition path of the nation.

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What’s Next in Court

The complaint wants the court to recognize the stoppage as illegal and, therefore, to order the USDOT and the Federal Highway Administration to go back to their routine work in terms of obligating and distributing funds. The legal dispute follows, among others, a lawsuit in which the states managed to win a preliminary injunction against a different funding freeze on electric vehicle infrastructure.

Without federal money, the Trump administration’s EV charging suspension draws a lawsuit from US states, to be a key test of federal authority and states’ ability to enforce congressional funding ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌mandates.

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