Minneapolis and eight other local governments on the East Coast and in the Midwest are suing the Trump administration for attempting to impose unlawful and unrelated conditions on federal emergency and disaster preparedness funds. The conditions would force local governments to adopt the administration’s political agenda or risk losing critical funding.

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 20 in federal court in Illinois, centers on nearly $100 million in grants administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In Minneapolis, these grants come to nearly $3.6 million that fund the majority of the positions at the City’s Emergency Management Department that leads the City’s responses to disasters such as mass shootings, terrorism, tornadoes, floods, diseases, or cyber threats or attacks. They also fund equipment for the Minneapolis Police and Fire Departments. The lawsuit asks the court to stop DHS and FEMA from using these life-saving funds as leverage for unrelated political agendas.

“Minneapolis is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with cities across the country to say loud and clear: you can’t threaten our safety to force your politics,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Disaster relief and emergency preparedness should never be conditional on abandoning the very values that make our city strong.”

The administration is demanding that local governments abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and comply with all executive orders related to grant funding as a condition of receiving federal dollars. These conditions are unrelated to the purpose of the grants themselves. The plaintiffs argue that they are unconstitutional and exceed the executive’s authority, falling far outside what Congress authorized.

This lawsuit is the third that the City of Minneapolis has filed against the Trump administration to stand up for its core values as a welcoming city and defend against cuts to federal funding that would have a significant impact on community safety and wellbeing of Minneapolis residents, workers, businesses and visitors (lawsuits include San Francisco et al v. Trump and King County et al v. Trump). The City is also preparing to defend against a lawsuit filed in September against Minneapolis and other jurisdictions in Minnesota that represents a direct attack on Minneapolis’ commitment to being a Welcoming City, one that welcomes and supports immigrants, refugees and families seeking opportunity.

Click here to learn more about how Minneapolis is responding to a variety of urgent federal issues and threats.

“We’ve seen this playbook before from the Trump administration – weaponizing federal funding to bully local governments into abandoning policies that keep people safe,” said Jill Habig, founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “Our latest lawsuit further highlights the widespread harm these policies are causing in both major urban areas and small counties across the country.”

The stakes are high in communities across the country:

• In Minneapolis, these funds support the majority of the positions in the Emergency Management Department, and the loss would hamper the City’s ability to prepare for and effectively respond to all kinds of disasters – representing a direct impact to community members and the critical infrastructure residents and businesses rely on.
• In Chicago, Ill., the city is relying on approximately $6 million to ensure that 47 Chicago police department positions that are dedicated to protecting public transportation infrastructure from terrorism are properly trained and equipped.
• In Denver, Colo., over $4 million in federal grants is essential to fund emergency preparedness for the city and its surrounding region.
• In New York City, $12 million is slated to protect its transit system from terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies.

Without these funds, millions of people will face greater risk of suffering and death. The lack of funds will force communities to divert scarce resources from other essential services, delay projects or cancel them entirely.

The City of Chicago is the lead plaintiff. The additional plaintiffs are:

• Baltimore, Md.
• Boston, Mass.
• City and County of Denver, Colo.
• Minneapolis, Minn.
• New York City, NY
• New Haven, Conn.
• Ramsey County, Minn.
• Saint Paul, Minn.