Overview

• Seventeen states, including California, Colorado, and New York, filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for pausing $3.3 billion in NEVI funds allocated by Congress for EV charging infrastructure.
• The lawsuit argues that the Federal Highway Administration's decision to freeze funding violates the Constitution, as only Congress has the authority to rescind appropriations.
• California officials warn that withholding funds jeopardizes EV adoption, infrastructure development, and thousands of U.S. jobs, while ceding leadership in clean energy to China.
• The NEVI program, established under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aimed to allocate $5 billion over five years to build a national EV charging network, with $3.3 billion already made available before the freeze.
• The legal challenge follows President Trump's January executive order pausing clean energy funding, part of broader efforts to reverse Biden-era climate policies.