
Delaware AG, others file motion to enforce court order to unfreeze federal funding
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Raw Video: Protesters gather to object to Trump administration's policies
Protesters march around at Legislative Hall in Dover to object to President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and policies. 2/5/25
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general on Friday who say President Donald Trump's administration is not complying with a court order to unfreeze federal funds needed for critical programs and services.
In withholding the nearly $3 trillion that had already been approved by Congress, the coalition says many states could face cash shortfalls, making it difficult to administer basic programs such as funding for health care and food for children.
"These funds are not monopoly money and this is not a game," Jennings said in a statement released in the final minutes of the business week. "Each and every one of these dollars represent promises that the United States made to Americans. Real people are suffering and will continue to suffer incredible damages from the disruption of these vital funds."
BACKGROUND: Delaware DOJ moves forward with lawsuit against President Trump's federal grant freeze
The coalition is trying to enforce a temporary restraining order issued on Jan. 31 by a federal judge in Rhode Island that blocked Trump's order pausing federal grants to states and cities. U.S. District Judge John McConnell's ruling was issued despite a Jan. 29 memo about the president's order being rescinded.
While the memo was rescinded, a White House press secretary posted on X that the rescission of the memo was not a rescission of the federal funding freeze.
McConnell, on Thursday, said he stood ready to enforce his order blocking the president's administration from freezing federal grants, loans and other financial assistance. During a virtual court hearing that day, the judge said state agencies had a "rightful concern" that they were still not able to fully access money nearly a week after he issued his temporary restraining order.
MORE: Trump holds back billions in funding despite court ruling, states tell judge
The pausing in funding means public safety, health care, preschool, health research, housing and infrastructure are on the chopping block, Jennings said.
"This is reckless, callous and an incredible insult to the American people, including the millions who voted for President Trump," she said.
The states' filing further highlights the harm Delaware and other states face if funds under the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) are not allocated as required by statute, her office said.
By way of example, Jennings said the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control received an email Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Energy, one of its federal grantors, requesting receipt of its earlier directive to cease federal funding, creating confusion and uncertainty regarding Delaware's ability to draw on obligated federal funds.
Other agencies have encountered even more serious disruptions, she said.
As of Wednesday, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services still could not access grant funds to protect children under the age of 6 from lead paint poisoning.
Amid evidence that the Trump administration has continued to block or delay these specific funding categories, the attorneys general filed a motion to ensure these critical funds are swiftly disbursed so that states can put them to use to protect the health, safety, and well-being of their residents, Jennings' said.
Other attorneys general making up the coalition are from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
South Korea Weighs US Investment Pledge to Trim Auto Tariff
(Bloomberg) -- The US and South Korea have discussed creating a fund to invest in American projects as part of a trade deal, similar to an agreement Japan struck Tuesday with President Donald Trump, people familiar with the matter said. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom The scope of the discussions was not immediately clear, but the US has been seeking pledges totaling hundreds of billions of dollars. The talks remain fluid, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the negotiations. Japan's deal saw the country agree to backstop a $550 billion fund in exchange for dropping a threatened 25% tariff to 15%. The discount also applied to automobiles, an important export for the Asian country's economy. The South Korea talks are similarly focused on reaching a 15% tariff rate, including for autos, one of the people said. The deal may also include a pledge by South Korea to purchase more goods in key sectors, one of the people said, again echoing the Japan pact, which included an agreement to purchase Boeing Co. planes and agriculture products. The White House declined to comment. The South Korean trade ministry also declined to comment. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he would meet with South Korean officials on Thursday. In a CNBC interview, Lutnick argued Tokyo's agreement put pressure on Seoul to accept similar terms. 'You could hear the expletives out of Korea when they read the Japanese deal,' Lutnick said. 'The Koreans, like the Europeans, very much want to make a deal.' Trump has threatened to impose a higher general tariff of 25% starting Aug. 1, in addition to the existing levies on vehicles, vehicle parts and steel that are straining ties between Seoul and Washington. A Korean trade delegation is in Washington this week for talks, according to the Asian nation's finance ministry, and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo is set to meet with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer as part of those discussions. However, a planned '2+2' dialogue that was scheduled for July 25 with Yeo and Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol alongside Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was postponed and will be rescheduled, the Korean side said. Lutnick has suggested a $400 billion figure in talks with South Korea, one of the people said. Lutnick presented that same number to Trump as part of talks with Japan but the US president eventually negotiated the fund up to $550 billion. South Korea is preparing to propose at least $100 billion in US investment pledges, Yonhap News reported, citing unidentified sources. The funds were secured through consultations with the nation's conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Co., SK, Hyundai Motor Co. and LG Electronics Inc., and could grow if government support is added. Seoul had planned to unveil a $100 billion offer during the now-postponed July 25 talks, according to Yonhap. While smaller than Japan's pledges, South Korea's economy, at less than half the size of Japan's, makes matching the same dollar-value pledges a significant challenge for Seoul. Some South Korean companies have already made significant investment pledges in the US. The chairman of Hyundai visited the White House in March to announce a $21 billion investment plan that includes an expansion of vehicle production in Georgia and a new steel plant in Louisiana. The deal with Japan threatens to create a competitive advantage for that country's automakers if Seoul is unable to reach a similar agreement. 'This really puts a lot of pressure on South Korea. If they can get 15%, I'm sure they'd be thrilled but they are in a different position than Japan,' said William Chou, deputy director of the Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. That notion was echoed by the White House on Wednesday. 'We're in a situation where, for example, German cars, are going to be at a disadvantage now, to Japanese cars, because it's a 25% tariff on German. Same thing with Hyundais from South Korea,' White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said Wednesday on Bloomberg Television. Navarro said the Japanese deal was best interpreted as the president 'doing a synergistic whole deal with the rest of the world.' 'This is just one part of that chess game,' he said. Trump, speaking at an artificial intelligence event earlier Wednesday, suggested that he would not go below 15% as he sets so-called reciprocal tariff rates — while also indicating he would reward nations that removed trade barriers on US exports. 'The tariff is very important, but the opening of a country, I think, can be more important if our businesses do the job that they're supposed to be doing,' Trump said. 'Such openings are worthy of many points in tariffs.' --With assistance from Heesu Lee, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Derek Wallbank and Yuko Takeo. (Updates to include Lutnick comments starting in sixth paragraph) Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Syria and Saudi Arabia sign investment deals worth £4.4 billion
Syria and Saudi Arabia announced 47 investment agreements, valued at more than £4.4 billion, in Damascus on Thursday, marking a significant step in rebuilding Syria's war-battered economy. The agreements signed at the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum cover a wide range of sectors, including property, telecommunications and finance. The planned projects include housing, the reconstruction of war-damaged areas, the development of tourism, medical and entertainment sites, skyscrapers, and three new cement factories. Syrian minister of information Hamza al-Mustafa said the deals are expected to create around 50,000 direct and 150,000 indirect job opportunities. Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the interim government in Syria led by former insurgent commander President Ahmad al-Sharaa since the fall of former president Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive. The country faces major economic and social challenges. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least 250 billion dollars (£185 billion) to rebuild Syria after years of civil war. Some experts now say that number could reach at least 400 billion dollars (£295 billion). The Saudi deals come as a political boost to Syria's interim government at a moment when the country is reeling from a new round of sectarian violence that broke out in the southern province of Sweida earlier this month. Clashes broke out on July 13 between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups later launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Israel also intervened, launching strikes on convoys of government forces and on the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus, which Israeli officials said were in defence of the Druze religious minority. Hundreds have been killed, and the UN says more than 130,000 people have been displaced. The fighting has stopped as a ceasefire takes hold, but tensions remain high and the violence has further shaken the trust of religious minorities in the new government.


American Military News
23 minutes ago
- American Military News
Video: Russia using teens to build military drones: Report
A new report claims that Russia is using teenagers to design, build, and test drones to be used in Russia's war with Ukraine. An investigation by The Insider, which is an exiled Russian news outlet, found that Russian officials use video game competitions to find talented students who are recruited by defense companies to design and test drones. A Russian teenager told The Insider, 'The kids are actively involved in modeling components of systems for various drones. I know of several people at least who were modeling UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] components for major enterprises.' According to The Insider, Russia's recruitment of teenagers begins with a video game that involves 'intelligence bears' defending themselves against bee swarms. The game also involves the use of drones to defend against the bee swarms. The outlet noted that hundreds of thousands of young Russians play the game and that students can receive extra credit points for doing well in the game. READ MORE: Video: 'American Drone Dominance' unleashed by Trump admin The Insider reported that young Russians who are good at playing the popular video game eventually are included in advanced competitions, such as Big Challenges, which searches for talented students on behalf of Russian companies linked to the Russian defense industry. One Russian teenager who was a finalist in the competition told The Insider, 'We were forbidden to say that it was needed for the war, and we invented civilian applications. It's a children's program … A project must always have a dual purpose, especially when you're a school student. It's an unwritten rule I've observed at every competition.' According to The New York Post, Zvedzda, a television channel for the Russian army, recently shared a video of Russian teenagers helping build the country's Geran-2 kamikaze drones at the Yelabuga production plant, which has been described as the 'world's biggest drone factory.' The New York Post reported that the Zvedzda television channel claimed that Russians as young as 14 have been invited to study and work at the Yelabuga factory. The outlet noted that teenagers who work at the Yelabuga factory would have an opportunity to be employed at the drone manufacturing plant after they finish their college education.