Pacifica Law Group is representing a coalition of Washington governments to preserve more than $87 million in federal grants that support a range of critical programs and services. The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington alleges that conditions placed by the Trump Administration on grant programs previously established by Congress “violate bedrock separation of powers principles, the Spending Clause [of the U.S. Constitution], and the Administrative Procedure Act.” The lawsuit asks the court to declare the grant conditions unconstitutional and to permanently enjoin federal agencies from enforcing the conditions.
Under direction from President Trump, federal agencies have placed conditions on grant programs in an attempt to force local governments nationwide to adhere to the Trump Administration’s policy goals on a range of issues. The conditions include that grantees eliminate all forms of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, help with the administration’s aggressive and lawless immigration enforcement, target and punish transgender people, and cut off information about lawful abortions.
“Federal courts have repeatedly enjoined President Trump’s unlawful attempts to usurp the powers granted to Congress by threatening to withhold federal funding to punish communities that refuse accept his policy agenda,” said Paul Lawrence, who is leading the Pacifica litigation team. “We are proud to stand alongside this coalition of Washington governments fighting for lawful access to federal resources for their constituents.”
The plaintiff coalition fighting back against the illegal demands includes the Port of Seattle; King, Kitsap, Snohomish and Thurston Counties; and the cities of Bellingham and Bremerton. The governments rely on the grants in question for public safety, law enforcement, and criminal justice; natural resource management and natural disaster preparedness; and economic development and workforce training, among other programs and services.
The federal agencies named in the lawsuit include the United States Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Labor, Department of the Interior, Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Pacifica litigation team representing the coalition also includes Jamie Lisagor, Sarah Du and Carly Zipper, with support from Sabrina Mitchell.
For more about this lawsuit, please read our clients’ press release.
Helping Local Governments Protect Communities from Executive Overreach
During the second Trump Administration, Pacifica is working alongside local governments in the Pacific Northwest and across the nation defend local communities from executive overreach. Last month, a nationwide coalition of 75 cities, counties, and housing and transit authorities represented by Pacifica secured an important victory in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to protect billions in already-awarded grant programs relied upon by communities across the country to support unhoused people, fund public transit, build and maintain highways and railways, and improve and develop airports.
Pacifica is also representing the City of Salem, Oregon, in a lawsuit to preserve $14 million in federal disaster relief and mitigation funding. A federal judge recently granted Pacifica’s clients a preliminary injunction, blocking efforts by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to condition federal disaster relief and preparedness funding on Salem’s adherence to President Trump’s policy goals.
