Washington state has joined a multistate lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Transportation of unlawfully blocking congressionally approved funding for electric vehicle charging projects, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court.
The lawsuit, led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, challenges the federal government’s decision to indefinitely suspend two major electric vehicle infrastructure programs created by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
At issue are the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) discretionary grant program and the Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program.
Together, the programs were designed to expand and repair public EV charging stations nationwide, including along major freight corridors and in underserved communities.
Washington, along with California, Oregon and several other states, says billions of dollars approved by Congress are being withheld without explanation, putting state and local transportation projects in limbo.
Impact on Washington projects
According to the complaint, Washington is part of a $102 million multistate grant awarded in August 2024 to build electric and hydrogen fueling infrastructure along a West Coast freight corridor serving medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
Washington’s transportation agency is one of the intended recipients.
While a portion of the grant was approved for early planning work, most of the funding meant for construction has not been released.
The lawsuit says that without the remaining money, the project cannot move forward as designed.
The states argue that these projects are critical to maintaining air quality standards, reducing pollution from freight traffic and supporting the transition to cleaner transportation systems.
What states say changed
The lawsuit traces the funding freeze to executive actions taken early in President Donald Trump’s current term.
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to pause spending tied to electric vehicle programs while they were reviewed for consistency with new administration priorities.
The Transportation Department later issued internal guidance instructing agencies to review grants that involve climate change, electric vehicles or environmental justice.
According to the lawsuit, grants flagged under that review have been left unapproved, revised or canceled, often without notice to states or local governments.
Washington and the other states say they have repeatedly asked for updates on their grants, only to be told that approvals are pending review by federal headquarters or policy officials.
Legal arguments
The states argue that the funding freeze amounts to an illegal “impoundment,” meaning the executive branch is refusing to spend money Congress has already approved.
The lawsuit says federal law requires the Transportation Department to obligate the funds within specific time frames, particularly for highway-related programs.
By failing to do so, the states claim, the federal government is violating the Constitution’s separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act.
A federal judge in Washington previously issued a preliminary injunction blocking a similar pause on a related EV charging program.
The new lawsuit seeks to extend that reasoning to the CFI and Accelerator programs.
What the lawsuit seeks
The states are asking the court to declare the funding suspensions unlawful and to order the Transportation Department to resume processing and approving grants.
For Washington, the outcome could determine whether long-planned EV charging and freight corridor projects move ahead or remain stalled indefinitely.