Attorney General Kwame Raoul has secured a legal victory that prevents the Trump administration from dismantling four federal agencies. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted summary judgment in favor of Raoul and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general, blocking the elimination of these agencies.
“While the president may think he is a king, our Constitution says otherwise,” Raoul said. “Today’s ruling is another win for the rule of law and the separation of powers, and I will continue to stand with other attorneys general to challenge this administration’s unlawful attempts to dismantle federal agencies that provide important funding and services to our residents.”
The court order permanently stops efforts to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which provides grants, research, and policy support for museums and libraries; the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), which supports minority-owned businesses through financial assistance programs; the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which works on resolving labor disputes; and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), which coordinates national efforts to prevent homelessness.
Raoul and his colleagues filed their lawsuit in April after an executive order was issued directing these agencies’ dismantlement. In May, they obtained a preliminary injunction halting implementation against three agencies—IMLS, MBDA, and FMCS—and expanded their complaint in June to include USICH.
The lawsuit argued that eliminating these agencies by executive order violated both constitutional principles regarding separation of powers and requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act. The district court agreed with Raoul’s arguments, determining that only Congress has authority over agency creation or dissolution.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin joined Raoul in bringing this case.
