On May 7, 2025, a coalition of 17 attorneys general led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed suit to stop the Trump administration from illegally terminating $3.7 billion in congressionally approved funding for electric vehicle infrastructure – including over $1 billion in the plaintiff states. The funds come from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program to fund states’ nationwide deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to improve reliability and public accessibility. On January 20, 2025, President Trump mandated federal agencies pause disbursement of all funds appropriated under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, including NEVI program funding. Despite being mandated by Congress to fund the NEVI program, the Federal Highway Administration notified states in February that the agency was withholding and/or withdrawing NEVI program funds from the states. As a result, states like Washington stand to lose over $71 million in electric vehicle infrastructure funding, and California will lose $384 million to build over 1.3 million new vehicle charging stations.

After a hearing on June 17, 2025, the district court found it likely that the Trump administration violated both the Constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act and on June 24, 2025, granted a preliminary injunction to the 14 plaintiffs who demonstrated irreparable harm. The preliminary injunction went into effect July 2, 2025, ordering the Trump administration to resume funding.

The president’s illegal claw-backs aren’t spending reductions – they’re cash grabs that rob taxpayers, steamroll Congress, and stifle critical economic development. Washingtonians are switching to electric vehicles at one of the highest rates in the nation. They deserve safe, reliable infrastructure to get their families from Point A to B. Attorney General Nick Brown