NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 attorneys general today celebrated winning a court order halting the implementation of a Trump administration policy that would block many federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs. On Friday, Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the administration’s illegal funding freeze after Attorney General James and the coalition filed a lawsuit to stop the policy.

“The power of the purse belongs to Congress – not the President of the United States,” said Attorney General James. “Last week, I led a coalition of attorneys general in suing to stop this dangerous and chaotic policy, and we won a court order to stop it while our lawsuit proceeds. Now, New Yorkers can rest assured that federal funds for critical services – meals for our seniors, health care, community public safety, disaster relief, and so much more – are currently not at risk. I will continue to fight in court to defend the essential programs and services New Yorkers need.”

The TRO won by Attorney General James prohibits federal agencies from taking any action that would “pause, freeze, block, cancel or terminate” the provision of federal funding, unless otherwise permitted by existing statute or the terms of the grant. Because of Attorney General James’ immediate intervention, programs that provide critical health and childcare services to families in need, deliver support to public schools, combat violence and expand public safety, provide life-saving disaster relief to states, and more are no longer at immediate risk of losing their funding.

In a notice sent to federal agencies and filed with the court this morning, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated its intent to comply with the court order and affirmed that the TRO blocking the illegal freeze applied to all federal funding awards or obligations, including those made to recipients such as hospitals, non-profits, or other organizations. The TRO applied to both current and future grants of federal assistance.

This morning, Attorney General James also sent a letter to hundreds of recipients of federal funding informing them that federal financial assistance cannot be frozen as a result of the administration’s policy, which is now blocked. This included health care providers, who were informed that funding cannot be frozen or withdrawn on the basis of providing gender affirming care to minors. Attorney General James also reminded providers that regardless of funding, all providers in New York are obligated to comply with New York state laws, including those that prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or membership in other protected classes. To comply with New York law, Attorney General James warns all providers that they must continue to provide health care services, including gender affirming care, to transgender or gender nonconforming individuals.

This lawsuit was led by Attorney General James and the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Joining the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.