States Sue Trump Administration Over Funding Freeze for EV Charging

A coalition of states led by Washington, Colorado and California sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, accusing that it was illegally billions of dollars assigned by the Congress for electric vehicle load stations.

The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law provided $ 5 billion to states to build stations throughout the country. Until now, 71 stations have been built, with many more in development, in accordance with the ATLAS Public Policy research firm.

The lawsuit, filed at the US District Court.

The White House Budget proposal published last week said it was canceling funds for “Falling electric charger subsidies programs.” President Trump already had tasks pointing to the program in an executive order in January, and the Department of Transportation continued with a similar memorandum next month. But cutting the financing completely would require a Congress approach, argued the lawsuit.

“The president continues his non -state attempts to retain funds that Congress was assigned to the programs he does not like,” said Rob Bonta, the Attorney General of California. “This time it is illegally eliminating billions of dollars for the load infrastructure of electric vehicles, all to align the pockets of its great oil friends.”

Almost two million “zero emission vehicles” have been sold in California, one third of the national total and part of a long -standing effort in the famous state -free state -centered state pollution. California had depended on $ 384 million on the Federal Program for Load Stations, according to Mr. Bonta’s office.

The State has also invested a large collection infrastructure of its own general fund and carbon credits sold to pollutions, to the point that private public chargers and shared in California now exceed the nozzles in gas pumps. However, through state lines, the load is more boring.

The Federal Program, the National Infrastructure of Electric Vehicles, or the Nevi program, initiated by President Joseph R. Biden Jr., aimed to build load networks beyond urban areas and states such as California as part of its national climate.

California officials pointed out on Wednesday that one of the biggest beneficiaries of a stagnant evidence would be China, which has a substantial advantage in the manufacture and sales of EV abroad. The largest losers would be rural states that expected federal dollars and Tesla, the EV company whose multimillionaire executive, Elon Musk, is Mr. Trump’s defender. Tesla has the highest market share of electric vehicles in the United States, although sales decreased in the first quarter of 2025.

“When the United States retires, China wins,” said Governor Gavin Newsom or California, calling for federal funds “another Trump gift to China.”

“Instead of selling to Teslas on the White House grass, President Trump could help Elon, and the Nation, following the law and releasing this bipartisan financing,” said Newsom.

They joined the complaint of the general prosecutors of Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont and the Columbia district, all of whom are Democrats.

The Memorandum of the Department of Transportation to state officials in February said the Administration was reviewing the Nevi program and suspending the approvals of state plans. The lawsuit asks the court to declare that they are not illegal and order the administration to release the funds.

A website that tracks the Nevi funds administered by Atlas Public Policy shows that at least $ 521 million of the money has been spent, and about $ 44 million have been spent. Many of the already open stations are grouped in Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the data.

Loren McDonald, the Paren chief analyst, an EV analysis company, said the federal government had been a minor player in the collection space of EV, with most of the stations built by private colleagues. Mr. McDonald said that many states for a long time deciding where to build stations and find companies to offer for contracts, resulting in a lake in construction. The states that already had experience in the construction of cargo stations, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, could move faster, he said.

However, the plaintiffs said, the president’s order has been detrimental.

The attorney general Phil Weiser of Colorado said in a statement that the State lost dozens of millions of dollars in funds after making a “significant progress”, by establishing the basis for the generalized adoption of EV. The authorities had planned to use federal support to fill the gaps in Rural Colorado and unattended communities, he said.

“Congresss had the forecast to authorize funds to build this important infrastructure,” Weiser added, “and must be restored immediately.”

In the state of Washington, he affirms the lawsuit, the president’s order has maintained $ 55 million in approved funds of the Congress for the collection of EV, storage 40 proposes projects.

The White House and the Department of Transportation did not respond immediately to the requests for comments.