Judge Halts Trump Administration's Block on EV Charger Funds

A United States judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars initially awarded to 14 states for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Seattle, who found the states are likely to succeed in their lawsuit against the federal government.

The dispute began when the U.S. Transportation Department suspended the $5 billion EV charging program originally included in former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. This affected states like California and New York after the federal government rescinded prior approval of their spending plans.

Judge Lin's ruling will be enacted in seven days, possibly allowing the Trump administration time to appeal. The impacted states claim the federal decision will extensively hinder their progress in green economy initiatives and combating climate change. Neither the White House nor the Transportation Department offered immediate comments.

(With inputs from agencies.)