Attorney General Raoul Sues Over Trump Administration’s Illegal Attempt To Stop EV Charging Infrastructure Funding

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined 15 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for unlawfully suspending two bipartisan grant programs for electric vehicle charging infrastructure that would reduce pollution, expand access to clean vehicles, and create thousands of green jobs.

In the lawsuit, Raoul and the coalition allege the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) actions violate the constitutional separation of powers because the funding was approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress. This funding includes $130 million in competitive grant funding the DOT awarded Illinois in January to support new electric vehicle charging stations across the state, including the Chicagoland area, Springfield, the Metro East and Quad Cities.

“This is the Trump administration’s latest attempt to ignore a founding principle of our country: that the people’s representatives wield the power of the purse,” Raoul said. “Congress rightfully supported our clean energy transition by investing in electric vehicle infrastructure. I will continue to stand with my fellow attorneys general to fight back against the president’s illegal actions that could cause long-term harm to our communities and our environment.”

The DOT quietly refused to approve any new funding under two electric vehicle charging infrastructure programs created in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA): Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program (CFI), and the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator (Accelerator) Program.

Raoul and the attorneys general allege in the complaint the Trump administration’s refusal to spend the funds that Congress appropriated for EV infrastructure is unlawful because it violates the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act. The lawsuit asks the court to declare those actions are unlawful and to permanently stop the administration from withholding the funds.

In 2022, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The CFI and Accelerator programs are five-year programs created by the IIJA for building or repairing EV chargers. The DOT and the Federal Highway Administration have refused all new obligations of funds under both programs since the spring of 2025.

Another provision to the IIJA appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) to facilitate electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the nation. In June, Raoul won a preliminary injunction after he filed a lawsuit when the Federal Highway Administration withheld NEVI funding to potentially hinder Illinois from achieving its goal of having 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030.

Joining Raoul in lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont and Wisconsin, as well as the governor of Pennsylvania.

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