Oregon Joins Renewed Legal Efforts to Force the Trump Administration to Unfreeze FEMA Fundings

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield accuses the Trump administration of refusing to release funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as reckless and dangerous.

The Money is Needed to Fight Wildfires, Floods, and Cybersecurity Threats

Rayfield has joined a coalition of 22 other AGs seeking a court order to force the administration to unfreeze essential funding for life-saving programs, including fighting wildfires, floods, and cybersecurity threats.

On 6 March, a preliminary court injunction and multiple other court orders were ignored by the federal administration that continued to withhold millions of dollars in FEMA grants to states.

Oregon AG Accuses Government of Dangerous and Reckless Behavior

Rayfield said in a news statement that the ‘administration’s refusal to release funding is not just dangerous – it’s reckless.’

Since the introduction of a funding freeze policy by the administration, trillions of dollars have been withheld from community health centers and nonprofit organizations. The coalition of AGs said the more recent withholding of FEMA funds is jeopardizing emergency preparedness, disaster response, and public safety throughout the country.

Supporting the coalition motion is the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) which administers 29 separate FEMA grants, now frozen.

Rayfield said the funds are for disaster recovery planning and training, preparedness, response, and mitigation, resulting in delaying recovery efforts and funding for critical infrastructure repairs.

Efforts by the Coalition to Reverse Funding Freeze Began in January

Efforts by the coalition to reverse the funding freeze began on 28 January. Three days later, the court granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the implementation of the funding freeze.

On 7 February, the coalition filed for a preliminary injunction to stop the freeze. Then, on 28 February, the AGs filed a second motion for enforcement to stop the administration from withholding trillions of dollars in FEMA funding.

On 6 March, the coalition won the preliminary injunction, stopping the administration from withholding federal funds to the states. The court ordered that the administration provide proof by 14 March that FEMA funds were unfrozen. To date, the funds continue to be withheld.

The coalition of AGs are from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.