Attorney General Charity Clark announced a legal challenge against President Donald Trump's Office of Management & Budget over an order freezing federal grants and loans. Vermont, along with 22 other states, contends that this order violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law by imposing new conditions on funding already awarded. The coalition argues that the President exceeded his authority by overriding Congress's policy decisions and not executing laws as passed by Congress.
Clark emphasized concerns from Vermonters about potential cuts to essential services funded by federal tax dollars. "My office has heard from Vermonters who are scared that essential services they rely on – and which our federal tax dollars pay for — will be cut off, and that the organizations that serve the most vulnerable in our communities will be hamstrung or shuttered," she stated. "I am fighting for them in filing this lawsuit, and I’m fighting for our Constitution."
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island, seeking to invalidate the order and prevent its implementation through a preliminary injunction. The frozen funds support critical programs such as WIC, Head Start, LIHEAP, Medicare enrollment assistance, school meals for low-income students, support for homeless veterans, domestic violence victim assistance programs, and refugee aid.
The coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington State and Wisconsin along with Vermont.