A federal judge in the State of Washington has granted a Preliminary Injunction against the federal government’s effort to withhold congressionally allocated funds intended to support public housing and transportation infrastructure in more than 30 jurisdictions, including Pima County.
The suit filed against Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and others, includes efforts to protect some $80 million already allocated to Pima County.
The injunction is a positive step following a Temporary Restraining Order preventing federal officials from reclaiming the funds, said Pima County Attorney Laura Conover.
“Although the initial Temporary Restraining Order was a good step, because it froze the loss of funding for two weeks, it was, as the name says, temporary,” Conover said. “This Preliminary Injunction (PI) is a new, positive step forward, indicating that the Judge believes our case is so strong or that a win is likely enough, that she granted an injunction against harm that will last through the entirety of the case’s life.”
This is the second lawsuit Pima County joined against the federal administration, in which 30 plus cities and counties filed suit in federal court in the State of Washington. The court-ordered injunction also comes with court monitoring to ensure that the federal government follows the order.
“That is, the Court expects Pima County to report back regarding the flow of HUD and FTA and relevant monies,” Conover said.
With the court protection in place, the Pima County Grant Finance team did draw monies from HUD and the U.S. Department of Transportation for housing and transportation support, respectively.
In response, the Trump Administration appealed the Preliminary Injunction to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. “Unless a higher court says otherwise, we can hope and expect the allocated money to continue to be available for critical use here in Pima County,” Conover said.
Media Contact: Shawndrea Thomas
Director of Communications
Pima County Attorney’s Office
(520) 724-5738 (Office)
(520) 310-4720 (Mobile)
Shawndrea.Thomas@pcao.pima.gov
