Washington prevails in case protecting more than $1 billion in transportation grant funding as Trump administration drops appeal

Pending court approval, case will be fully and permanently resolved in Washington's favor

The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its appeal of a judgment permanently blocking the Trump administration's threat to withhold billions of dollars in annual U.S. Department of Transportation grants from states that do not assist the federal government's immigration enforcement.

By dropping its appeal, the Trump administration concedes the case, fully resolving it in favor of Washington and the 21 other states that sued the administration in May 2025.

"The President threatened critical state transportation projects simply to push his authoritarian agenda, but Washington won't be bullied," said Attorney General Nick Brown. "We shouldn't have to choose between welcoming immigrants and protecting the transportation funding approved by Congress."

Washington relies on more than $1 billion in grants administered by the Department of Transportation for vital statewide infrastructure projects like the roads, highways, airways, and bridges. This includes the funding necessary to prevent fatal traffic accidents and stop drunk drivers; to provide transit for seniors and those with disabilities; and to protect and restore roads after natural disasters. Neither the purpose of these grants, nor their grant criteria, are in any way connected to immigration enforcement.

The Constitution is clear: Congress, not the President, decides how federal money is spent. For decades, Congress has passed laws guaranteeing funding to states like Washington to improve their roads and protect those who use them - funds that the federal government generally has by virtue of the taxes paid to it by states like Washington. The Trump administration attempted to seize Congress's power of the purse by imposing unlawful conditions on transportation grants, but the law is clear that the federal government cannot use the spending power to coerce states into adopting its preferred policies.

On November 4, 2025, the district court issued final judgment in favor of Washington and the other states that challenged this unlawful conduct. In issuing its decision, the court found that the Trump administration had "blatantly overstepped their statutory authority, violated the APA, and transgressed well-settled constitutional limitations on federal funding conditions. The Constitutions demands the Court set aside this lawless behavior."

Read the motion to dismiss the appeal here.

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A copy of the complaint is available here.