Author: Maryland A.G. Published: 01/28/2025 Maryland A.G. Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 28, 2025
Media Contacts:
press@oag.state.md.us
410-576-7009
Attorney General Brown Joins 22 States in Suing to Stop Trump Administration from Withholding Essential Federal Funding
New Trump Administration Policy Would Block Trillions in Funding for Health, Education, Law Enforcement, Disaster Relief, and other Essential State Programs
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general suing to stop the implementation of a new Trump administration policy that orders the withholding of trillions of dollars in funding that every state in the country relies on to provide essential services to millions of Americans.
The new policy, issued by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), puts an indefinite pause on the majority of federal assistance to states. The policy would immediately jeopardize state programs that provide critical health and childcare services to families in need, deliver support to public schools, combat hate crimes and violence against women, provide life-saving disaster relief to states, and more. Attorney General Brown and the coalition of attorneys general are seeking a court order to immediately stop the enforcement of the OMB policy and preserve essential funding.
“All Marylanders would be affected by this unconstitutional pause on federal funding, but those who would bear the brunt of the damage are our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors who rely on these resources to pay for early childhood education, health care, and housing,” said Attorney General Brown. “Our Office uses federal resources to crack down on Medicaid fraud, protect elderly and disabled Marylanders from abuse, and ensure pricing for food remains affordable for everyone in our State. This freeze would have devastating impacts on people’s lives across our State and nation, a catastrophe our Office will try to avoid by any means necessary.”
The OMB policy, issued late on January 27, directs all federal agencies to indefinitely pause the majority of federal assistance funding and loans to states and other entities beginning at 5:00 p.m. today, January 28. As Attorney General Brown and the coalition note in their lawsuit, OMB’s policy has caused immediate chaos and uncertainty for millions of Americans who rely on state programs that receive these federal funds. Essential community health centers, addiction and mental health treatment programs, services for people with disabilities, and other critical health services are jeopardized by OMB’s policy.
Attorney General Brown and the coalition also argue that jeopardizing state funds will put Americans in danger by depriving law enforcement of much-needed resources. OMB’s policy would pause support for the U.S. Department of Justice’s initiatives to combat hate crimes and violence against women, support community policing, and provide services to victims of crimes. In addition, Attorney General Brown and the coalition note that the OMB policy would halt essential disaster relief funds to places like California and North Carolina, where tens of thousands of residents are relying on FEMA grants to rebuild their lives after devastating wildfires and floods.
While the administration has attempted to clarify the scope and meaning of the OMB policy, states have already reported that funds have been frozen, jeopardizing services across the country. As part of their lawsuit, Attorney General Brown and the coalition argue that OMB’s policy violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by imposing a government-wide stop to spending without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of federal funding. The coalition argues that the president cannot decide to unilaterally override laws governing federal spending, and that OMB’s policy unconstitutionally overrides Congress’s power to decide how federal funds are spent.
In filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Brown joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/press/2025/012825b.pdf