States sue the Trump administration for blocking funds for electric vehicle charging

States sue Trump administration for withholding funds for EV chargers, part of broader environmental policy rollback.

Seventeen States are suing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for withholding billions of dollars for building more electric vehicle chargers, according to a federal lawsuit announced Wednesday (May 7, 2025).

The Trump administration in February directed States to stop spending money for electric vehicle charging infrastructure that was allocated under President Joe Biden — part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor. The EV charger program was set to allocate $5 billion over five years to various States, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available.

The lawsuit is led by attorneys general from California, Colorado and Washington, and challenges the Federal Highway Administration's authority to halt the funding. They argue Congress, which approved the money in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, holds that authority.

"These funds were going to be used to shape the future of transportation,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, calling it “short-sighted” of Trump to revoke the funds.

Also Read | Trump signs executive order to cut NPR, PBS public funding

“We won’t sit back while the Trump administration violates the law,” Bonta, a Democrat, said. The U.S. Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

EVs stood at about 8% of new car sales in the U.S. last year, according to Motorintelligence.com, a sign the market is growing — although the pace has slowed as the auto industry tries to convince mainstream buyers about going electric. The program was meant to assuage some concerns and build infrastructure along highway corridors first, then address gaps elsewhere once the state highway obligations were met.