Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is leading a group of states in taking legal action against the Trump Administration, criticizing the handling of federal grants intended for emergency and disaster relief. The lawsuit, backed by eleven other state attorneys general and the governor of Kentucky, asserts that new terms attached to grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are both unlawful and obstructive.
In contrast to past procedures, the emergency management funds, which typically support activities such as active shooter trainings and law enforcement support, now face new restrictions. "The Trump Administration should be working with states to keep our residents safe," Nessel said, per the Michigan Department of Attorney General. "Instead, the White House continues again and again to pull the rug out from under us, putting the safety of our communities in jeopardy."
Previous challenges to similar actions by the administration have seen victories for the states, including a reimbursement exceeding $100 million to the Michigan State Police. The coalition currently maintains that new grant terms for the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) and the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) not only depart from standard practice but also deliberately act as barriers to the utilization of these funds as they were initially intended.
The federal government has imposed a funding hold on one grant and altered the timeline for the expenditure of funding under both grants. It's a move that the coalition argues is excessive and illegal, stating that it strays beyond the authority of the defendants, Secretary Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary David Richardson, and FEMA. These changes, they claim, are not in accordance with the law and did not go through the necessary procedures.
These challenges to the federal government's overreach are part of a broader struggle for state agencies to maintain assured funding for essential public safety operations. By redirecting the terms of these grants, the current administration has sparked concern and action among a breadth of state leadership. Further details on the lawsuit and Attorney General Nessel's commentary on the matter are accessible via the Michigan government's official website.
