A federal choose Friday ordered the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) to disburse tens of millions of {dollars} of grants to Democratic-led states, discovering the administration’s withholding of the funds breached his earlier ruling.
“FEMA’s handbook evaluation course of violates the Court docket’s preliminary injunction order,” U.S. District Decide John McConnell wrote.
McConnell, an appointee of former President Obama, has blocked the administration from implementing an across-the-board freeze on federal grants because the states’ lawsuit proceeds and has now twice discovered the administration wasn’t in compliance.
The case started with an Workplace of Administration and Finances (OMB) memo directing the sweeping freeze. Despite the fact that it has since been rescinded, the choose’s order prevents the administration from implementing it beneath some other title.
Late final month, the attorneys normal from Washington, D.C., and 22 states returned to McConnell over issues that FEMA was instituting a grant evaluation course of in violation of his order. The states stated they have been ready on a mixed tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in disbursements.
The Justice Division pushed again, insisting to the choose that FEMA was in compliance.
“FEMA’s manual review process has nothing to do with the OMB Directive, and is expressly not a pause or freeze on funding — it is instead a change to the manner in which FEMA processes and approves payment requests,” the division wrote in court docket filings. “FEMA intends to make appropriate payments under the relevant grants, which forecloses Plaintiffs’ allegations of a continued ‘pause’ or ‘freeze.’”
McConnell disagreed, saying the evaluation “basically imposes an indefinite categorical pause on funds.”
He went on to seek out the evaluation is “covertly” an try by the administration to implement President Trump’s government order that goals to make sure so-called sanctuary cities don’t obtain federal funds.
The Hill has reached out to FEMA for remark.
