Texas Counties Sue Trump Admin Over Anti-Terror Funding Threats

Harris and El Paso counties sued the Trump administration on Aug. 17 over federal conditions linking Homeland Security Grant Program funding to election procedures. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenges requirements administered through FEMA, including plans to transition certain voting systems toward hand-marked paper ballots, conduct a 5% manual audit, reconcile voters with ballots, and use the federal SAVE system to verify citizenship of registered voters and election workers. The counties say FEMA lacks authority to impose election-administration conditions on terrorism-prevention grants and that withholding 20% of awards threatens public-safety programs. Harris County expects $23.3 million in HSGP funding, according to reporting, while El Paso has declined to apply under the new conditions. Columbus, Ohio, and Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, are also plaintiffs. A separate lawsuit by 25 states and Washington, D.C., challenges similar conditions. The legal dispute remains unresolved pending litigation.