Trump's EPA Slashes $3 Billion in Climate Grants, Prompting Legal Battle

Since the onset of the second Trump Administration, the President enacted a series of executive orders targeting billions of dollars in grants previously allocated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Joe Biden, setting the stage for anticipated legal challenges. Recently, a significant lawsuit emerged, filed on behalf of 23 groups, encompassing nonprofits and various local and tribal governments nationwide, which had their EPA grants rescinded. This action seeks to establish a class-action suit representing all affected entities due to the cancellation of approximately 350 grants. The suit aims to restore the funds terminated by the EPA, following President Trump's executive orders. The legal team, including the Southern Environmental Law Center, Earthjustice, and others, argues that the cancellation of these $3 billion grants is illegal, asserting that such funds were designated by Congress through a specific framework. The lawsuit emphasizes that the EPA's actions violate core separation-of-powers principles, causing undue harm to vulnerable communities reliant on these essential grants.