California leads lawsuit against Trump administration over cuts to EV charging funding
The lawsuit is the latest attempt by a coalition of mostly liberal jurisdictions seeking to reverse what they see as "overreach" by the U.S. president, especially on environmental issues.
Electric cars plug into a Tesla charging station at an office (File).
More than 15 states challenged in court Donald Trump's order to withhold $5 billion earmarked for expanding the nation's electric vehicle charging network, officials in California said.
The lawsuit is the latest attempt by a coalition of mostly liberal jurisdictions seeking to reverse what they consider "an overreach" by the U.S. president, especially on environmental issues.
"The president continues his unconstitutional attempts to withhold funds that Congress earmarked for programs he doesn't like," California attorney general, Rob Bonta, said during a conference.
">President Trump is illegally stripping away billions of dollars of congressionally approved funding to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) May 7, 2025
We’re suing.
We won’t let the President line the pockets of his Big Oil friends at California’s expense.… pic.twitter.com/6JIvqMor8H
Bonta countered on his X account that "President Trump is illegally stripping billions of dollars of congressionally approved funds to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure."
"We will not allow him to line the pockets of his Big Oil friends at the expense of California," concluded the prosecutor who assured that they were suing over the measure.
">As we work toward a clean transportation future, it’s critical that we make electric vehicles as accessible as possible to all Californians.
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) May 7, 2025
We can’t afford to reverse course and lose the progress we’ve made to protect our environment. pic.twitter.com/V8m3TGmU5x
Funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
A bill passed in 2022 by Congress aimed at bolstering the country's infrastructure included $5 billion to help build electric vehicle charging points.
However, after his arrival in the Oval Office in January, Trump ordered a halt to the funding part of a series of executive orders the Republican has issued that also include demands that the U.S. produce more fossil fuels.
The money had been allocated by Congress to states and, in some cases, was expected to be matched with state and private funds as jurisdictions seek to increase charging networks and reduce the range anxiety that gasoline car drivers allege prevents them from switching to electric vehicles.
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Bonta is joined in the lawsuit announced Wednesday by the attorneys general of Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
The text argues that, as president, Trump has no power to divert funds that the legislature has appropriated.
The Republican has long been hostile to electric vehicles. He has repeatedly charged against Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules requiring automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their cars.
California is home to most of the electric and hybrid vehicles in the US. This west coast state plans to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
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