$19 Billion in Environmental Funding Frozen Despite Court Orders

Despite two federal court orders, President Donald Trump’s administration has not resumed distributing over $19 billion in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding. This funding, intended for state and local governments and nonprofits, remains on hold as of February 14. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has called for a Department of Justice investigation into the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, seeking to reclaim $20 billion invested last year. Critics argue that the administration’s tactics are shifting from a broad funding freeze to targeting individual programs as fraudulent. Legal experts emphasize that courts require specific evidence, not just broad claims of impropriety. The administration’s approach has seen some success, with a federal judge allowing a freeze on $80 million for a migrant shelter program in New York. However, challenging entire programs without evidence is not legally supported.

Source: arstechnica.com