A coalition of more than two dozen states filed suit in Rhode Island challenging policies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security that allegedly require states to meet election and immigration-related conditions in order to receive federal disaster relief funding.
According to the lawsuit, the administration is pressuring states to modify their election systems and assist with immigration enforcement efforts. The plaintiffs contend that these requirements violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit specifically targets provisions that would permit the Department of Homeland Security to terminate grants at any time and for any reason. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately provide comment on the legal challenge.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated that the administration was “using the safety of Americans as collateral” and attempting to coerce states into abandoning constitutional authority over their own policies. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, another plaintiff, characterized the effort as an attempt to “take over our elections and perpetuate baseless conspiracy theories.”
The lawsuit represents one of numerous legal challenges to what critics describe as the administration’s strategy of conditioning federal funding across multiple programs—including education, domestic violence prevention, and transportation—on compliance with its policy priorities, primarily targeting Democratic-led states. Federal courts have previously ruled similar tactics unlawful. A 2025 decision barred the administration from imposing conditions on certain FEMA grants, and a ruling earlier this year blocked efforts to redirect DHS funding from states deemed insufficiently supportive of the administration’s agenda.
The contested election-related requirements include mandatory transitions to paper-ballot voting systems, manual audits of voting systems, and verification of citizenship status in voter databases. States failing to comply face potential loss of at least 20 percent of Homeland Security Grant Program funding, which supports cybersecurity and counterterrorism initiatives.
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