17 states sue Trump administration over withholding $3.3 billion Electric Vehicle infrastructure money

Seventeen US states are taking legal action against President Donald Trump's administration, accusing it of unlawfully withholding billions of dollars meant for building electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, reported AFP.The lawsuit, announced on Wednesday, claims the federal government has no authority to stop states from using funds already allocated by Congress. The funding — $5 billion spread over five years — was approved under President Joe Biden as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Of this, roughly $3.3 billion had already been made available to states before the Trump administration issued a directive in February asking them to stop using the money. The lawsuit is led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside counterparts in Colorado and Washington. Bonta criticised the decision as a political move to favour the oil industry, calling it "illegal" and harmful to climate progress. Many states had already begun using the funds, with some reimbursed for their EV charging projects. Others, like New York, claim large sums are currently frozen — in New York’s case, about $120 million of the $175 million awarded. The lawsuit reflects growing resistance to the Trump administration's broader efforts to roll back climate policies. These include pulling out of the Paris Agreement, reversing Biden’s EV targets, and supporting fossil fuel expansion. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the funding freeze "illegal" and warned it could cost thousands of jobs and push innovation to other countries. He urged the president to honour the bipartisan law instead of politicising clean energy.