More than two dozen states have filed lawsuits challenging the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security for attaching election and immigration conditions to disaster and homeland security grants, according to court filings first reported July 23, 2026.
The coalition sued in federal court in Rhode Island, arguing the administration is requiring states to change elections systems and assist with immigration enforcement to get billions in federal disaster funding, the Associated Press wrote. The complaint says the conditions could let DHS terminate grants “at any time and for any reason.”
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is quoted in the filings calling the move an unlawful threat to public safety and accusing the administration of using “the safety of Americans as collateral” to force state policy changes, the AP report shows.
Legal news coverage and court documents show this is one of several recent legal fights over FEMA funding and grant programs. A 2025 lawsuit challenged FEMA’s decision to cancel a long-running disaster mitigation grant program, and states have argued in court that the agency has ignored judicial orders to restore or administer certain programs, Law360 reported in February 2026.
States’ complaints enumerate requirements including a transition to paper-ballot systems, manual audits of voting systems, and steps to verify voter citizenship in registration databases, the AP article says. Plaintiffs contend the conditions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution’s spending clause.
FEMA and DHS have pushed back. In statements reproduced in reporting, a FEMA spokesperson described the lawsuit as partisan pushback and said the administration considers election security part of protecting critical infrastructure, the AP coverage notes.
Legal observers and practicing attorneys told Law360 and other outlets that courts have already blocked similar attempts to condition funding, and that prior rulings complicate the government’s ability to add new requirements to congressionally appropriated grants without notice-and-comment rulemaking or clear statutory authority.
What happens next will likely be decided in the U.S. district court where the Rhode Island complaint was filed; past injunctions in related disputes show judges may temporarily bar agencies from enforcing new conditions while the litigation runs, Law360’s reporting explains.
Because these suits concern billions in preparedness and homeland-security dollars, state officials say the legal fight could affect projects that upgrade infrastructure and cybersecurity funded by those grants, the AP article warns.
Sources
- Associated Press via WKBN — reported the July 23, 2026 lawsuit details, quotes from Rhode Island Attorney General, and the specific election and immigration conditions being challenged.
- CNN — background on a 2025 suit by states over FEMA grant cancellations and the role of mitigation programs.
- Law360 — coverage of court orders and states’ contention that FEMA has not complied with judicial rulings on mitigation funding.
