Judge orders Trump administration to release frozen grants, including $14M for Nashville

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to pay out millions in grants that were frozen earlier this year.

Nashville was one of six cities — along with 13 nonprofits — that signed onto a legal challenge led by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Public Rights Project. The challenge sought to continue various programs that rely on federal funding. Programs ranged from constructing energy-efficient affordable housing in South Carolina to developing a solar-powered compost facility in Maryland.

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Charleston, S.C., issued a permanent injunction. The ruling requires the Trump Administration to reinstate 32 of the 38 canceled grants mentioned in the lawsuit.

“This ruling echoes what cities and local governments have said all along: the unlawful termination of congressionally approved funds caused real harm to communities,” Public Rights Project Founder Jill Habig said in a statement. “We are proud to represent them every step of the way to ensure they can restore vital programs and continue building a stronger, more equitable future for all.”

In Nashville, two infrastructure grants were at stake and both were reinstated. One, a $4.7 million award from the Charging for Fueling Infrastructure Grant program, will expand public electric vehicle charging stations throughout the city. Another, a $9.3 million Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment grant for the East Nashville Spokes project, will help develop new bikeways throughout East Nashville.

“The president’s administration did not have the constitutional authority to rescind these grants,” Metro Law Director Wally Dietz told WPLN News. “The court’s ruling upholds the constitution’s separation of powers.”

The Trump Administration has indicated they plan to appeal. In response, the Southern Environmental Law Center says they plan to continue the challenge “all the way to the Supreme Court.”

This is not the only lawsuit challenging the Trump administration that includes Nashville. Metro also sued the U.S. Health and Human Services Department over their cancellation of $11 billion in public health dollars. In Nashville, that caused the cancellation of measles vaccine clinics, as well as an end to some services for the homeless community and processing in the county’s public health lab.