Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a coalition of 17 attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The legal action aims to prevent the alleged illegal termination of federal funding designated for electric vehicle infrastructure.
The Federal Highway Administration is withholding $117 million previously allocated to Illinois for developing electric vehicle charging stations. This decision follows a presidential executive order and impacts Illinois' objective of having 1 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2030.
Raoul expressed his concerns, stating, “Once again, the Trump administration is attempting to usurp the power of the purse granted to Congress in our Constitution.” He emphasized the importance of investing in electric vehicle infrastructure as part of transitioning to clean energy.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed by Congress in 2022, included $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) to support nationwide charging infrastructure. However, an executive order signed by President Trump on January 20 halted fund disbursement related to both the IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act. Subsequently, states were informed that all previously approved NEVI plans were revoked.
The lawsuit seeks a court mandate against these actions by the Federal Highway Administration and aims to restore funding for electric vehicle infrastructure across various states.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont have joined Raoul in this legal effort.