Donald Trump’s order to withhold $5 billion earmarked to grow the electric vehicle charging network in the United States is being challenged in court by more than a dozen states, California officials said Wednesday.
The lawsuit is the latest attempt by a coalition of largely liberal jurisdictions looking to push back on what they see as the American president’s overreach, especially on environmental issues.
“The President continues his unconstitutional attempts to withhold funding that Congress appropriated to programs he dislikes,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“This time he’s illegally stripping away billions of dollars for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, all to line the pockets of his Big Oil friends.”
A mammoth congressional bill passed in 2022 aimed at bolstering America’s crumbling infrastructure included $5 billion to help build out charging points for electric vehicles.
But as soon as he arrived in the Oval Office in January, Trump ordered that the money be stopped, part of a slew of executive orders the Republican has issued, which also included demands that the United States produce more fossil fuels.
The cash had been allocated by Congress to the states, and in some cases was expected to be paired with state and private funds as jurisdictions look to grow charging networks and reduce the range anxiety that drivers of gas cars sometimes say puts them off switching to electric vehicles.
The lawsuit announced Wednesday contends that as president, Trump does not have the power to divert monies the legislature has allocated.
“The complaint asks the court to declare that the… directive is unlawful and to permanently stop the administration from withholding the funds,” a statement said.
Trump, a climate change skeptic, has long been hostile to electric vehicles and has repeatedly lashed out at Environmental Protection Agency rules requiring automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions in their cars.
California, which is home to the lion’s share of EVs and hybrid vehicles in the United States, plans to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
The lawsuit comes as Republicans in Congress are trying to remove the rules that allow the state — the biggest and richest in the nation — to make its own vehicle emission rules.
“The facts don’t lie: The demand for clean transportation continues to rise, and California will be at the forefront of this transition to a more sustainable, low-emissions future,” said Bonta.
“California will not back down, not from Big Oil, and not from federal overreach.”
Bonta is joined in the lawsuit by attorneys general from, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
