New York Metropolis sued President Trump on Friday after his administration clawed again $80 million despatched to town for housing migrants.
Citing issues of “illegal activity,” the Trump administration took again the sum because it seeks to crack down on this system, which is funded by Congress and administered by the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA).
The federal authorities disbursed $80.5 million to New York Metropolis’s central checking account on Feb. 4 however took again the fee with out warning on Feb. 11, the lawsuit states.
After this system got here underneath fireplace this month, fueled by Elon Musk and posts on social media, administration officers introduced they have been suspending funds.
“No lawful procedure permits Defendants—as they did here—to take back grant funds previously approved and paid without legitimate basis and without first following and complying with the steps required under the applicable rules, grant terms and conditions,” reads the criticism.
“Defendants have acted lawlessly, but have attempted, after the fact, to mask this fact with a semblance of following procedure,” it continued.
The Hill has reached out to the Justice Division for remark.
As migrant encounters on the southern border elevated, Congress in 2019 approved the Shelter and Companies Program (SSP). It allows FEMA to ship grants to nonprofits and native governments helping with an inflow of migrants launched into the nation by federal immigration authorities. The grants can cowl meals, transportation, primary medical care and shelter.
This system has come underneath growing criticism as Musk seems to massively slash authorities spending as a part of his Division of Authorities Effectivity. A lot of the condemnation has targeted on how New York Metropolis homes some migrants within the Roosevelt Lodge.
This system has additionally turn out to be the topic of false claims that it’s diverting funds away from individuals affected by pure disasters, just like the victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. SSP is a separate pot of funding from FEMA’s fundamental catastrophe reduction fund.
Friday’s lawsuit was filed in federal court docket in Manhattan by the New York Metropolis Regulation Division, which handles town’s authorized affairs.
The lawsuit pushes again on the administration’s justification that it pulled the funding as a result of the grant wasn’t being utilized in compliance with federal regulation, describing the clawback as a “money-grab.”
“Simply put, the ‘noncompliance’ letter is pretextual, a cover for Defendant’s realintent, which—as they’ve stated publicly—is to withhold the funds permanently because theyoppose the purposes for which the funds were appropriated, awarded, approved, and paid,” the criticism states.
