Judge Orders Trump to Release $2.7B in EV Charging Funds

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Federal judge blocks Trump administration from withholding $2.7 billion in EV charging funds from 14 states! What caused this major legal showdown?

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Judge Tana Lin ruled Trump "overstepped constitutional authority" by freezing funds previously approved by Congress in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program allocated $5 billion over 5 years to build charging stations nationwide—but in February, Trump ordered states to stop spending.

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States argued the funding freeze would devastate their ability to build charging infrastructure and "irreparable harm" was already happening with projects halted midstream.

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New York alone reported having $120 million in NEVI funds withheld out of $175 million awarded. California, Arizona, and 11 other states also faced massive losses.

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The NEVI program aims to address "range anxiety" by installing fast-charging stations every 50 miles along highways—a critical piece of nationwide EV adoption.

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So far, only about 60 charging stations with 268 ports have been built nationwide through this program, far short of the 500,000 public stations the US aims for by 2030.

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Trump argued the administration was merely "pausing" the program to align with "current policies," but Judge Lin said states had already committed resources expecting federal support.

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The judge's order takes effect July 2, giving the administration time to appeal. Will this legal victory accelerate America's EV infrastructure development?

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