A federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday that the Trump administration had the legal authority to freeze grants that Congress approved with the aim of cutting carbon emissions and lowering energy costs.
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island repeatedly asked a Justice Department attorney to explain how federal agencies could take back money that had already been awarded.
“Once it’s been allocated is the issue here,” McElroy said. “The funding has been promised to people for programs.”
She asked Daniel Schwei, a Justice Department lawyer representing the Trump administration, whether the agencies were required to provide an explanation to the grantees of why the money was paused: “That was not done in any of the cases,” she said.
