A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from withholding billions in federal funding meant for electric vehicle charger infrastructure in 14 states. The ruling, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Seattle, prevents the administration from suspending payments from a $5 billion EV charger program that was originally part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The decision affects states including California, New York, Illinois and Washington, which filed suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation for rescinding previously approved spending plans. The court determined that the states were likely to succeed in their claims that the administration acted unlawfully by halting the funds. Lin’s order takes effect in seven days, allowing time for a potential appeal from the administration.
The legal dispute stems from the Transportation Department’s decision in February to freeze the EV charging initiative and cancel approvals granted under the prior administration. The program had been a key component of federal efforts to expand charging access, accelerate EV adoption and reduce transportation emissions.
States argued that the funding freeze would severely damage their ability to build out EV charger infrastructure and meet environmental and economic targets. The judge agreed, noting that the states had already committed resources based on the expectation that federal funds would follow.
The ruling does not apply to the District of Columbia, Minnesota and Vermont, which also joined the lawsuit but failed to show they would face immediate harm from the funding pause.
The case reflects broader political tensions over EV policy. In recent months, Republican lawmakers have pushed to scale back federal support for electric vehicles, passing legislation to eliminate the $7,500 new EV tax credit and repeal emissions rules intended to spur EV production. Separately, California and 10 other states are challenging Congress’s repeal of rules targeting heavy-duty vehicle emissions and the state’s planned 2035 gas vehicle phaseout.
Meanwhile, the federal government has begun limiting its own EV support efforts. In March, the General Services Administration deactivated many non-critical EV chargers at government buildings and halted new installations.
With legal proceedings ongoing, the fate of federal EV infrastructure funding remains uncertain pending appeal.
