Special to IFN

RALEIGH – N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to stop the federal government’s freeze on grants and funding.

Jackson and 22 attorneys general asked the federal court for an immediate temporary restraining order to prevent the freeze from going into effect.

“This sudden freeze in federal funding is so sweeping that it could cause widespread and immediate harm across our state – delaying disaster recovery in our western counties, undercutting law enforcement, and affecting children and veterans,” Jackson said. “It violates constitutional power over federal spending, and I’m taking legal action to stop it.”

An announcement of the freeze was issued late yesterday without advance notice and without any expiration date. After that announcement, various federal agencies have chaotically and unevenly begun suspending access to a wide range of funds. Although it’s not clear which programs and funds will be suspended, the announcement has left government agencies and other organizations across North Carolina uncertain about the services they can provide in upcoming weeks.

Hurricane Helene devasted North Carolina, causing about $60 billion in damage when it hit the state in September. Late last year, Congress approved spending $29 billion in federal funds for disaster recovery, small business aid, and road and bridge repairs in hurricane-hit states. The federal government’s freeze could delay receipt of these funds, disrupting recovery efforts and delaying North Carolinians’ ability to repair their homes, businesses, roads, and bridges, and revitalize western North Carolina.

The freeze could also devastate state and local law enforcement’s ability to protect people from violent crime. It could cut off federal funding for state and local law enforcement agencies and could limit the State Crime Lab’s ability to test evidence related to law enforcement investigations. The freeze could also pause victim assistance programs, including grants funded through the Violence Against Women Act and grants to prevent child abuse.

In North Carolina, the freeze could also cause major uncertainty around funding for tens of thousands of jobs, health care, veterans’ programs, food assistance including school breakfast and lunch, tribal assistance, support for military servicemembers, and defense and military research.

The attorneys general argue that the law violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by halting federal spending without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of funds or the harmful effects of such a freeze.

Attorney General Jackson is being joined in filing this lawsuit by the Attorneys General of New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

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A copy of the complaint is available HERE.