Attorney General Mayes Sues Trump Over Federal Funding Freeze
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Attorney General Mayes Sues Trump Over Federal Funding Freeze

Lawsuit Challenges Withholding of Billions in Aid, Citing Risks to Public Safety, Healthcare, and Education

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined a multistate lawsuit to block a new Trump administration policy that halts the distribution of federal funds critical to state programs nationwide. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, seeks an immediate court order to stop the enforcement of the policy, which was issued by the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and went into effect at 5:00 p.m. on January 28.

The policy indefinitely pauses the majority of federal financial assistance and loans to states, jeopardizing programs that provide healthcare, childcare, disaster relief, and public safety initiatives.

“This lawless and chaotic order attempts to steal allocated dollars that have been included in state budgets. This will impact our ability to protect our residents and conduct basic everyday programs like funding for healthcare and food for children,” said Mayes. “Donald Trump is attempting to illegally implement his radical Project 2025 agenda with catastrophic results. We will not allow him to do so.”

Essential Services at Risk

The lawsuit argues that the OMB’s funding freeze creates immediate uncertainty for millions of Americans. In Arizona, it threatens:

  • More than 460,000 families who rely on SNAP benefits for food
  • Nearly 1 million children who depend on federally provided school meals
  • Head Start programs that serve over 15,000 low-income children and 13,000 families
  • Section 8 housing assistance, which helps thousands of Arizona renters afford their homes
  • 630,000 families who receive federal energy assistance (LIHEAP) to heat and cool their homes
  • 17 Critical Access Hospitals and 55 Rural Health Clinics, which rely on federal funding to stay open
  • More than 2 million Arizonans who could lose Medicaid coverage

The lawsuit also highlights the risks to public safety, as the funding freeze would halt support for law enforcement initiatives, including the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which helps combat fentanyl trafficking and Mexican drug cartels. HIDTA currently funds 27 task forces and supports over 700 Arizona law enforcement officers.

Legal Challenge Against the Trump Administration

Mayes and a coalition of attorneys general argue that the OMB’s policy is unconstitutional, as it overrides laws governing federal spending without congressional approval.

“The president cannot unilaterally decide to cut off funding that Congress has already allocated,” the lawsuit states. “This action undermines the rule of law and threatens millions of Americans who depend on these programs.”

Led by the attorneys general of New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, the lawsuit includes 20 states and the District of Columbia.

While the Trump administration has attempted to clarify the scope of the policy, some states have already reported frozen funds affecting essential programs like Medicaid.

Mayes questioned the silence of Republican leaders. “Where are the Republicans, and why aren’t they standing up for law enforcement and against this illegal money grab? They sure as hell aren’t standing up for the people of Arizona,” she said.

As the legal battle unfolds, millions across the country, including thousands of Arizona families, wait anxiously to see whether the federal funds they depend on will be restored.