Washington, D.C. – Democracy Forward and a nationwide coalition of domestic violence, sexual assault, housing, youth, and homelessness organizations secured a temporary restraining order to block 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 Trump-Vance administration has repeatedly weaponized federal funding and threatened funding recipients who do not comply with sweeping and unlawful grant conditions. Last week, Democracy Forward and the nationwide coalition sued the Trump-Vance administration to block HHS and HUD policies that unlawfully prohibited providers from implementing programs that “promote DEI” or “gender ideology.” Plaintiffs – which include state coalitions and service providers from across the country – are seeking are challenging the administration’s new requirements that push grantees to restrict or deny diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, censor support for transgender individuals, and certify compliance with broad anti-equity mandates, or else face severe penalties, including liability under the False Claims Act. In some programs, the administration has also extended anti-abortion restrictions.

“This administration continues to target people in vulnerable communities; and we continue to meet them in court. Organizations serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness should not be forced to abandon their work, erase the identities of those they serve, or compromise their values just to keep their doors open,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “This unlawful and harmful policy puts extreme schemes ahead of people’s dignity and safety by restricting essential federal support. At Democracy Forward, we are proud to be alongside this nationwide coalition and our partners to hold the administration accountable for undermining people’s safety.”

Read the temporary restraining order (TRO) here. Read the original filing here. 

See Coverage Below:

Associated Press: Judge grants temporary restraining order over anti-DEI, transgender restrictions

A federal judge in Rhode Island has granted a temporary restraining order against the federal government’s latest restrictions on grants that target diversity, equity and inclusion and people who are transgender.

U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Dubose issued the order on Thursday after a coalition of nonprofit groups from 14 states filed the lawsuit earlier this week against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development. The groups largely aid victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, homelessness, and foster care kids.

According to the complaint, President Donald Trump’s administration adopted new policies blocking nonprofits from receiving HHS and HUD grants unless recipients certify they won’t use the money to promote “DEI” or “gender ideology.” Recipients would also be blocked from funding promoting “elective abortions.”

The Boston Globe: R.I. judge issues temporary restraining order against HHS and HUD over anti-DEI, transgender restrictions on federal grants

Kristin Bateman, the senior counsel for Democracy Forward and one of the lawyers representing the coalition, said a temporary restraining order was still necessary because the policy could change again.

“We have an administration that wants to eradicate DEI from the government, from the private sector, and they have threatened to use the False Claims Act as a weapon to go after people who do those things,” Bateman said. “They have made clear that they think that DEI … often usually violates anti-discrimination laws. So the threat is still there.”

Bateman said the administration had made clear its goals were to eradicate DEI measures, and the Department of Justice announced it would also go after DEI.

“Organizations serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness should not be forced to abandon their work, erase the identities of those they serve, or compromise their values just to keep their doors open,” Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman said in a statement. “This unlawful and harmful policy puts extreme schemes ahead of people’s dignity and safety by restricting essential federal support.”

Advocate: Court blocks Trump admin’s anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions on grants for domestic violence and homeless shelters

A federal judge in Rhode Island has granted a temporary restraining order blocking conditions the Trump administration had placed on grants to organizations serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness.

The plaintiffs issued this statement through Democracy Forward: “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.”

Providence Journal: Federal judge in RI halts restrictions on funding to groups that serve society’s vulnerable

A federal judge has temporarily barred President Donald Trump’s administration from requiring organizations that serve some of society’s most vulnerable to align with its views on gender identity and diversity in order to receive grant funding.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and Democracy Forward announced on July 25 that U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose granted a request to temporarily block the president’s administration from imposing restrictions based on diversity, equity and inclusion; gender ideology; and abortion rights to grant programs administered by the federal departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services.

A nationwide coalition of dozens of organizations, including six from Rhode Island, sued the government on July 21 in U.S. District Court. The state groups include the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, House of Hope Community Development Corporation, Community Care Alliance, Foster Forward, Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness and Haus of Codec.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.