United States states sue Trump administration over disaster grants
PUBLISHED Jul 24, 2026, 3:08 PM ET
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A coalition of 25 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island against the Trump administration, naming FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants. The lawsuit challenges updated policy guidance for the fiscal year 2026 Homeland Security Grant Program, which conditions 20% of disaster preparedness and counterterrorism grants on state compliance with federal voting and immigration-related mandates. Plaintiffs argue that hundreds of millions in congressionally allocated funds are being unlawfully tied to requirements including cross-checking voter rolls with DHS’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database.
By James Porter | JQJO News
Timeline of Events
- Fiscal year 2026 DHS issues new grant guidance
- Fiscal year 2026 FEMA adopts funding conditions
- Fiscal year 2026 Grants total up to one billion
- Recently States learn of 20 percent withholding
- Recently DHS ties aid to election compliance
- Recently States required to use SAVE database
- Today Twenty-five states file Rhode Island lawsuit
- Today FEMA and DHS formally named defendants
News Intelligence
- This lawsuit could impact your state's disaster preparedness and counterterrorism funding. If your state doesn't comply with the new federal voting and immigration mandates, it could lose 20% of its grant money. Check if your state is part of the lawsuit.
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