A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia is suing the Trump administration for conditioning over $1 billion in disaster relief funds on changes to state election and immigration policies. The lawsuit, filed in Rhode Island, argues the Department of Homeland Security is unconstitutionally withholding 20% of critical grants to compel states to adopt practices like using paper ballots, stemming from the administration's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
DHS disaster funding conditions
- ▪The new conditions require states to change their election systems and help the Department of Homeland Security with immigration enforcement
- ▪The Department of Homeland Security announced on July 10, 2026, it would withhold 20% of certain Federal Emergency Management Agency grant awards
- ▪The funding restrictions apply to over $1 billion in grant money intended to help states prepare for terrorist attacks and other threats
- ▪The states were allocated over $740 million in fiscal year 2026, meaning at least $148 million would be withheld under the policy
Multi-state lawsuit against DHS
- ▪The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Rhode Island, asks a judge to block the Department of Homeland Security from withholding disaster-related funds
- ▪A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on July 23, 2026
- ▪The lawsuit was led by the states of Rhode Island, California, Illinois, and New Jersey
Constitutional authority over elections
- ▪The lawsuit contends the conditions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution’s spending clause
- ▪Courts have previously ruled that the Trump administration's strategy of conditioning federal funds is unlawful and unconstitutional
- ▪The states argue the administration's plan exceeds federal authority, as the U.S. Constitution assigns states the role of administering federal elections
Election administration requirements
- ▪As a condition for funding, states must use hand-marked paper ballots instead of electronic systems that use bar codes or QR codes
- ▪States are also required to manually audit at least 5% of ballots cast and compare voter rolls to a Department of Homeland Security database
Trump voter fraud claims
- ▪Independent studies and audits have found voter fraud to be rare in U.S. elections
- ▪President Donald Trump and his allies have made false claims of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, including the 2020 presidential election
New Jersey voter registration incident
- ▪The incident in New Jersey prompted the U.S. Justice Department to demand data on the voters involved
- ▪New Jersey's governor reported that over 6,000 non-U.S. citizens were accidentally registered to vote in the state, with nearly 400 casting ballots
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