This is “yet another case where the administration is saying, ‘I’m going to do what I want to do and not what the law says, and make the court make me,’” said U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy during a hearing.
McElroy issued a restraining order against Trump’s plan just hours before the funds would have been cut forever.
She stated that the White House’s actions were clearly illegal.
With this decision, McElroy has made sure the funds will still be available if the states win their legal case against the Trump administration.
The states involved in this lawsuit have accused Trump of cutting the money to punish them for not fully supporting his strict immigration policies.
Good news is, the states seem to have strong legal arguments because just last week, another federal judge, William Smith, ruled that the administration’s efforts to push states to follow its immigration plans were illegal.
“This kind of last-minute change to how the funding is handled, especially after Judge Smith’s decision, is troubling,” said Judge McElroy.
This ruling deserves praise, but even more, Trump’s actions should be criticized.
Under any other president, this kind of behavior would be a major scandal. Using lifesaving FEMA funds as leverage against states that oppose him is a serious failure of responsibility. If Trump had gotten his way, lives could have been lost. In a more rational world, this would be a reason for impeachment.
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