James Prevails: Court Blocks Trump’s Agency Elimination

New York Attorney General Letitia James has scored a significant victory against the Trump administration, winning a lawsuit that permanently blocks the dismantling of four vital federal agencies.

In a gritty ruling today, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted a motion for summary judgment filed by AG James and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general. The court’s decision stems from a lawsuit filed in April to prevent the implementation of an Executive Order aimed at dissolving the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).

‘The federal government’s illegal attack on these agencies threatened vital resources for workers, small businesses, and the most vulnerable in our communities,’ AG James stated. ‘This is a major victory in our ongoing work to defend important services that New Yorkers rely on every day. I will keep fighting to stop the chaos and destruction of this administration’s attempts to dismantle our government.’

The lawsuit alleged that the Executive Order’s attempt to eliminate these agencies was unconstitutional, violating both the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. The court agreed with the coalition, ruling that the president does not have the power to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies created and funded by Congress.

In addition to AG James, the lawsuit was led by the attorneys general of Rhode Island and Hawaii, with support from those in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

This ruling is a major setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the government, ensuring that these critical agencies will continue to serve their respective communities.