On May 7, California officials reported that President Trump has ordered a freeze on $5 billion allocated by Congress for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations across the United States. This decision has led to a coalition of over ten states filing a lawsuit against him.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse, California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated, “The president continues to use unconstitutional means to freeze funds allocated by Congress for projects he does not support.” He added, “This time, he has unlawfully deprived billions of dollars needed for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, all to benefit his friends in the oil industry.”
In 2022, Congress passed a large-scale infrastructure bill that included $5 billion to assist in the development of electric vehicle charging stations. However, upon returning to the White House in January, Trump immediately signed a series of executive orders to freeze these funds and called for increased production of fossil fuels.
The lawsuit claims that Trump, as president, does not have the authority to alter the designated use of funds set by Congress. “The suit seeks a court ruling declaring this order illegal and permanently prohibiting government agencies from freezing these funds.”
This lawsuit has been jointly filed by more than ten states, including California, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/trump-orders-freeze-on-electric-vehicle-charging-station-funds-prompting-multistate-lawsuit/
