On February 10, 2025, Chief Judge McConnell granted the plaintiff states’ motion to enforce the January 31 temporary restraining order in No. 1:25-cv-39. The signed order, posted by the District of Rhode Island, states that the motion (ECF No. 66) is GRANTED. It orders that defendants “must immediately restore frozen funding during the pendency of the TRO,” “must immediately end any federal funding pause,” and “must immediately take every step necessary to effectuate the TRO.”
The same order requires restoration of withheld funds, “including those federal funds appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act,” and states that directives in OMB M-25-11 are included in the TRO. The Rhode Island Attorney General issued a press release the same day quoting the “likely unconstitutional” language from the court.
On February 12, 2025, a further order reaffirmed the TRO, denied an emergency defense motion about FEMA withholdings, and restated that the TRO still permits limits “on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.” These are docket orders. They are not H.Res. 241, and they are not a finding of criminal contempt.