Trump curbs electric car, 16 states take him to court

Sixteen states (plus Washington, DC) have decided to take the federal government to court. At the centre of the lawsuit, filed 16 December, is the suspension of two funding programmes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure created by Congress in 2022 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to the plaintiffs, the Trump administration blocked funds already approved without providing formal explanations, altering the balance of executive and legislative power and effectively hindering the spread of electric mobility.

Blocked funds and the institutional knot

The Department of Transportation (USDOT) has stopped authorising new funding for the Charging and Fuelling Infrastructure Program (CFI) and for the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program..
These are five-year programs, both under the Infrastructure Act, which collectively move billions of dollars. The CFI is the main federal tool for funding the construction of new electric car and hydrogen fuelling stations; it makes available $2.5 billion to states and local governments. The Accelerator, on the other hand, is designed to maintain, repair and restore charging points that have already been installed but are not working.

The lawsuit alleges that this choice, described as “silent and unmotivated,” violates the separation of powers: Congress allocated the resources with bipartisan majorities, and federal agencies would have an obligation to implement them.

The words of Bonta and Newsom

California Attorney General Rob Bonta spoke openly of an illegal action: “The Trump administration’s illegal attempt to block funding for electric vehicle infrastructure must come to a head.” He added that the halt risks “slowing the fight against air pollution and climate change, curbing innovation, and hindering the creation of green jobs.”

In the same vein is Governor Gavin Newsom: “The Trump administration is illegally withholding funds from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, investments approved by Congress to build America’s electric charging network, reduce pollution and create thousands of good-paying jobs. We will not accept that.” California, he reminded, already has 2.4 million zero-emission vehicles on the road and green projects ready to go.

California electrical laboratory

According to the California Energy Commission, the state now has more public outlets for electric charging than petrol pumps. The $179.8 million in federal funds, earmarked for state agencies, would be used to build and maintain a fast and reliable charging network, considered crucial to climate goals. “We expect federal funding approved in a bipartisan manner to continue to support this infrastructure,” said CEC President David Hochschild.

Stalled projects and court cases

The suspension of programs has already had concrete effects: delayed construction sites, financial uncertainty, and stalled projects. In California, $59.3 million for a dedicated heavy-duty electric corridor, $55.9 million for zero-emission freight transport near ports, and $63.1 million to repair non-functioning columns, amongst others, are at risk.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the Trump administration’s conduct illegitimate and permanently prevent it from withholding already appropriated funds. A legal battle that, more than technical, tells of a deep political divide: on one side a White House slowing electric mobility, on the other states determined to defend, even in court, their own path to transition.