Washington, D.C. — A federal court has granted a request to temporarily block the Trump-Vance administration from adding harmful new restrictions on federal grant programs administered by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The decision ensures that organizations serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, LGBTQI+ youth, and unhoused communities can continue their critical work without being forced to abandon inclusive practices or censor support for transgender people.

The court granted plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence v. Kennedy, a lawsuit brought by a broad nationwide coalition of advocacy organizations and service providers. Plaintiffs will submit a proposal for the precise scope of the TRO for the court’s review, focused on the organizations that must decide whether to accept the unlawful conditions as soon as July 30. The ruling will halt the administration’s new funding restrictions that targeted diversity, equity, inclusion, and transgender rights, putting life-saving services at risk.

The plaintiffs in the case include Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, California Partnership To End Domestic Violence, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, District Of Columbia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual And Domestic Violence, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Jane Doe Inc. (The Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence), Kansas Coalition Against Sexual And Domestic Violence, Montana Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Oregon Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ValorUS, Violence Free Minnesota, Virginia Sexual And Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault,  House of Hope Community Development Corporation, Community Care Alliance, Foster Forward, Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, and Haus of Codec. 

The plaintiffs issued the following statement:

“We welcome the court’s decision to grant our motion to halt the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful and dangerous funding restrictions. These conditions threaten to undermine decades of progress in supporting survivors of violence, LGBTQI+ youth, and unhoused individuals. Our organizations exist to serve everyone with compassion and equity, and we will not be forced to choose between our values and mission and the communities we serve. The court’s order is a critical step in protecting life-saving programs and ensuring that the providers across the country can continue their work without political interference. We brought this case because we have seen firsthand the harm these restrictions would cause. This ruling affirms what we have long known, that the law does not permit any government to use its funding power to force service providers to abandon their core principles.”

The lawsuit challenges the Trump-Vance administration’s attempt to impose ideological and political limits on federal grants administered by HHS and HUD. Under the blocked policies, providers risked losing funding or facing legal liability simply for maintaining inclusive programs or acknowledging the needs of transgender people.

The plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, National Women’s Law Center, Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, and the ACLU Foundation of Rhode Island.

Plaintiff and co-counsel’s quotes about this case are available here. 

Read the complaint here.

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