(AURN News) – A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return more than $230 million in Homeland Security and FEMA funds.
The administration sought to withhold the funds from states with so-called sanctuary policies on immigration.U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy of Rhode Island said the cuts to nine Democratic-leaning states and D.C. were arbitrary, political and had no basis in a risk-based formula. Congress set up the $1 billion Homeland Security grant program, which helps fund local police, fire and counterterrorism efforts. McElroy, who was appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump, said officials simply lopped off funding in neat, round numbers, calling it a red flag and a form of punishment.
She also stressed that the money pays for active shooter response and disaster preparedness, citing the recent shooting near Brown University as an example of the type of attack the grants are meant to help communities prepare for.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
