A federal court has ruled in favor of Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general, stopping the Trump administration from dismantling four federal agencies. The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted summary judgment to the coalition, blocking an Executive Order that aimed to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).
Attorney General Clark and her counterparts filed a lawsuit in April to prevent the elimination of these agencies. In May, they obtained a preliminary injunction halting implementation of the Executive Order. The lawsuit was amended in June to include USICH, which coordinates national efforts to address homelessness.
The coalition argued that dissolving these agencies would violate both the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by bypassing Congress’s authority. According to their legal position, only Congress can create or abolish federal agencies, and programs cannot be ended without proper legislative process.
In its decision, the District Court found that “the president does not have the power to unilaterally eliminate federal agencies created and funded by Congress, and he cannot arbitrarily and suddenly cease agency programs.” The ruling permanently prevents any future actions under this Executive Order regarding these four agencies.
A copy of the court order is available on the Vermont Attorney General’s website.
