Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states
U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state partially granted a preliminary injunction that sought to free up the money approved under then-President Joe Biden that the Trump administration withheld earlier this year. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued over the move, arguing that the administration did not have the authority to block the congressionally approved funds. The program was set to allocate US$5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available.
Lin ordered that funding be released in 14 of the states, including in Arizona, California and New York. But she denied granting the preliminary injunction for D.C., Minnesota and Vermont, saying that they did not provide enough evidence that they would face 'irreparable harm' if the money wasn't immediately freed up.
Lin said the Trump administration overstepped its constitutional authority when it froze the funding previously approved by Congress in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
'When the Executive Branch treads upon the will of the Legislative Branch, and when an administrative agency acts contrary to law, it is the Court's responsibility to remediate the situation and restore the balance of power,' she wrote.
The order will go into effect July 2 unless the Trump administration appeals. The Federal Highway Administration did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on the decision.
The Trump administration in February directed states to stop spending money for electric vehicle charging under the program. The move was part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor.
States suing the Trump administration said the decision to freeze funding halted projects midstream, requiring immediate court intervention.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said after the ruling that the Trump administration could not 'dismiss programs illegally.'
'We are pleased with today's order blocking the Administration's unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach,' he said in a statement.
The Trump administration argued that it was working on new guidance for the program and was only pausing future funding in the meantime.
The program was meant to assuage concerns about electric vehicles and build infrastructure along highway corridors first, then address gaps elsewhere once the state highway obligations were met.
Some states with projects running under the program have already been reimbursed by the Biden-era federal funds. Others are still contracting for their sites. Still more had halted their plans by the time the Trump administration ordered states to stop their spending. Regardless, getting the chargers installed and operating has been a slow process with contracting challenges, permitting delays and complex electrical upgrades.
It was expected that states would fight against the federal government's efforts to slow the nation's electric vehicle charger build out. New York, for example, which is part of the lawsuit, has been awarded over $175 million in federal funds from the program, and state officials say $120 million is currently being withheld by the Trump administration.
Sudhin Thanawala And Sophie Austin, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
20 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Candidates face threats, doxxing, as longest ballot campaign exceeds 200 names
209 candidates have registered to run in the Aug. 18 Battle River-Crowfoot byelection There are 209 candidates who have registered to run in the Aug. 18 Battle River-Crowfoot byelection. It's all part of an election reform protest by the Longest Ballot Committee. (@BryanPassifiume) OTTAWA — With election day in Battle River-Crowfoot just weeks away, organizers of a long-running election reform protest are celebrating breaking an important milestone — but their candidates are feeling the heat. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In a statement issued Sunday evening, organizers of the Longest Ballot Committee announced the ballot for the Aug. 18 byelection — where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is trying to win a seat — has exceeded 200 names. That total is more than double the record-tying 91-name ballot fielded in the suburban Ottawa riding of Carleton in April's federal election — and matches the 91-name ballot fielded during last year's byelection in LaSalle–Emard–Verdun. That topped the previous record of 84 candidates for the 2024 Toronto-St. Paul's byelection. 'We hope MPs hear our message loud and clear and do the right thing: recuse themselves and pass decisions on election law to an independent, permanent, non-partisan body, such as a citizens' assembly to decide,' wrote Longest Ballot organizers Tomas and Kieran Szuchewycz. 'Elections Canada runs our elections. It is an independent, permanent, non-partisan body. The electoral boundary commissions draw riding maps — they are independent, permanent, and non-partisan bodies. We have these institutions to thank for election results we can trust, and the absence of gerrymandering in Canada.' Recommended video Ousted from his seat in Carleton on election night, Poilievre is counting on winning Battle River-Crowfoot to reclaim his spot in the House of Commons. But those unhappy with the campaign are directing their frustration at candidates — using a leaked list of personal information to harass and threaten those on the ballot, prompting some to withdraw their candidacy. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Just finished taking part in the advance polls in Carleton — lol holy crap that's one loooooong ballot @LongestBallot Returning officer told me they have special trucks in the riding this weekend doing nothing but replacing and replenishing stuffed ballot boxes — Bryan Passifiume (@BryanPassifiume) April 18, 2025 Alex Banks, of Grande Prairie, Alta. — running as a longest ballot candidate for the fourth time — told the Toronto Sun it's been interesting watching the anger shift. 'The biggest change I've noticed is the tone of opposition and where it's coming from,' he said. 'In the two byelections, in Liberal-held ridings, there was a lot from the Truanon crowd on Twitter telling me I'm a paid Conservative shill, but it never got beyond that — it never got to people making attacks on people's homes to intimidate them.' Questions to the Szuchewyczs on the abuse being faced by their candidates went unreturned. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Longest Ballot Committee was created in response to a broken election promise by former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who during his 2015 campaign, said that election would be last in Canada governed by first-past-the-post election (FPTP) rules — preferring, instead, election systems like proportional representation. Dillon Anderson, another longest ballot candidate, who lives near Sudbury, said he agrees with the campaign's efforts towards campaign reform. 'I agree with the core message that politicians need to recuse themselves and give the power back to Canadians when it comes to deciding election rules,' he said, noting that unlike many of his fellow candidates, he is running with an election platform. 'Canadians are realizing that people like Pierre Poilievre, Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney — they've all broken promises.' bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume World Celebrity Golf Wrestling World
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Wall Street coasting ahead of a week packed with potential flashpoints
Ed Curran works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes are drifting on Monday after the United States agreed to tax cars and other products coming from the European Union at a 15 per cent rate, lower than U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier threatened. Many details are still to be worked out, though, and Wall Street is heading into a week full of potential flashpoints that could shake markets. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 per cent in afternoon trading after setting an all-time high every day last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 142 points, or 0.3 per cent, as of 2:22 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2 per cent higher, coming off its own record. Tesla added 3.4 per cent after its CEO, Elon Musk, said it signed a deal with Samsung Electronics that could be worth more than US$16.5 billion to provide chips for the electric-vehicle company. Samsung's stock in South Korea jumped 6.8 per cent. Other companies in the chip and artificial-intelligence industries were strong, continuing their run from last week after Alphabet said it was increasing its spending on AI chips and other investments to $85 billion this year. Chip company Advanced Micro Devices rose four per cent, and server-maker Super Micro Computer climbed 8.6 per cent. They helped offset an eight per cent drop for Revvity. The company in the life sciences and diagnostics businesses reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than Wall Street expected, but its forecast for full year profit disappointed analysts. Companies are broadly under pressure to deliver solid growth in profits following big jumps in their stock prices the last few months. Much of the gain was due to hopes that Trump would walk back some of his stiff proposed tariffs, and critics say the broad U.S. stock market looks expensive unless companies produce bigger profits. More fireworks may be ahead this week. 'This is about as busy as a week can get in the markets,' according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. Hundreds of U.S. companies are lined up to report how much profit they made during the spring, with nearly a third of all the businesses in the S&P 500 index scheduled to deliver updates. That includes market heavyweights Apple, Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft. Those companies have grown so huge that their stock movements can almost dictate what the overall S&P 500 index does. Microsoft alone is worth roughly $3.8 trillion. On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve will announce its latest decision on interest rates. Trump has been angrily calling for the Fed to cut interest rates, a move that could give the economy a boost. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell insists that he wants more data about how Trump's tariffs are affecting the economy and inflation before the Fed makes its next move. Lower interest rates can fuel inflation, and the economy only recently came out of its scarring run where inflation briefly topped nine per cent. The widespread expectation on Wall Street is that Fed officials will wait until September to resume cutting interest rates, though a couple of Trump's appointees could dissent in the vote. The Fed has been on hold with interest rates this year since cutting them several times at the end of 2024. This week will also feature several potentially market-moving updates about the economy. On Tuesday will come reports on how confident U.S. consumers are feeling and how many jobs openings U.S. employers were advertising. Wednesday will show the first estimate of how quickly the U.S. economy grew during the spring, and economists expect to see a slowdown from the first three months of the year. On Thursday, the latest measure of inflation that the Federal Reserve prefers to use will arrive. A modest reading could give the Fed more leeway to cut interest rates in the short term, while a hotter-than-expected figure could make it more cautious. And Friday will bring an update on how many more workers U.S. employers hired during June than they fired. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market ahead of all that action. The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 4.41 per cent from 4.40 per cent late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, rose to 3.92 per cent from 3.91 per cent. In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped in Europe following the announcement of the trade deal's framework. Chinese stocks rose as officials from the world's second-largest economy prepared to meet with a U.S. delegation in Sweden for trade talks. Stocks climbed 0.7 per cent in Hong Kong and 0.1 per cent in Shanghai. Indexes were mixed across the rest of Asia, where Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.1 per cent for one of the world's bigger losses. ___ AP business writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. By Stan Choe
Calgary Herald
2 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Brookfield beefs up Canadian mortgage business with First National deal
Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. is getting into the Canadian mortgage business in a big way, teaming up with Birch Hill Equity Partners Management Inc. to buy a majority stake in First National Financial Corp. in a $2.9-billion transaction. Article content Brookfield is already a significant player in mortgage insurance, following its 2019 purchase of a majority stake in Genworth MI Canada. The balance of Genworth, now called Sagen Mortgage Insurance Co. Canada, was purchased the following year. Article content Article content Article content First National underwrites and services mostly prime residential — single-family, multi-unit — and commercial mortgages. With more than $155 billion in mortgages under administration, it is one of Canada's largest non-bank mortgage originators. Article content Article content Brookfield's strategy of pursuing growth in the non-bank mortgage segment of private credit goes beyond the potential to integrate mortgage lending and insurance in Canada. The global asset manager has already expanded into the United States with the spring purchase of New York-based mortgage lender Angel Oak Cos. LP. Article content Over the past decade, Angel Oak has originated more than US$30 billion in residential mortgage loans and issued over 60 securitizations, a pace that was expected to accelerate as a result of 'growth in borrower segments that are underserved by traditional lenders,' Brookfield said in April. Article content Article content Brookfield's growing credit division, which encompasses partnerships with industry players such as Oaktree Capital Management Inc. and 17Capital LLP, already manages more than $300 billion of assets globally. Article content Article content The division focuses on a range of private credit investment strategies, including infrastructure, renewables, real estate, asset-backed and corporate credit, with return profiles spanning investment grade, sub-investment grade and opportunistic. Article content 'Generally, Brookfield seeks to leverage the ecosystem to drive upside for any of their portfolio companies,' said Jaeme Gloyn, an analyst at National Bank of Canada. Article content However, he said there are elements in the latest deal that will put some limits on the integration of mortgage underwriting and insurance in Canada. For one thing, Stephen Smith, First National's founder and one of its controlling shareholders — who will remain a minority indirect shareholder in First National after the transaction closes — is also an owner of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Co., the country's other large mortgage insurer that competes with Genworth/Sagen.
