Platkin sues Trump admin over clause used to cancel federal grants

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin sued the Trump administration Tuesday, alleging the executive branch illegally stripped congressionally approved funding for states and other recipients. 

The lawsuit specifically alleges the Trump administration has unlawfully exploited a provision that allows federal agencies to cancel a grant if the funding “no longer effectuates … agency priorities.” The attorney general’s office alleges the Trump administration has “invoked the five words” to cancel funding for violence intervention programs and technological upgrades for law enforcement.

“We’re proud to lead this lawsuit to prevent the Trump Administration from deciding on a whim and without any notice that it no longer wishes to provide states with the funding Congress has promised,” Platkin said. “It is unconscionable that this Administration has illegally stripped our state of funding Congress authorized to protect public safety, to support lifesaving medical research, to ensure that our kids can access clean water and air, and so much more.”

Platkin’s office is co-leading the suit, alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. The group filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, as well as several federal departments, were listed as defendants. 20 other states are joining New Jersey in the lawsuit.

Platkin has sued the Trump administration more than 10 times, and several cases include fights over funding. (The Supreme Court is also expected to rule soon in a birthright citizenship case that involves a New Jersey-led lawsuit.)

Many of the disputes revolve around the Department of Government Efficiency, an Elon Musk-led team that gained scrutiny for major funding cuts it spearheaded in the early months of the Trump administration. Musk left the federal government last month and later feuded with the president in dramatic, public fashion.

“The Trump Administration and DOGE have mounted an unprecedented campaign to terminate billions of dollars of federal funding to states that supports critical programs for our residents. That reckless slash-and-burn campaign has rested on the flimsiest of legal justifications,” Platkin said. “And it has continued unabated for months—which is why we’re taking the fight to the Trump Administration to stop these reckless and illegal cuts from continuing.”