Judge blocks federal rule tying counterterrorism funds to election policy changes

The short version

• U.S. District Judge Amir Ali vacated a FEMA rule that threatened to withhold 20% of federal counterterrorism grant funding from local jurisdictions.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]
• FEMA had conditioned the funding on jurisdictions adopting specific election changes, including moving to hand-marked paper ballots and verifying voter citizenship.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]
• The judge ruled that FEMA lacked congressional authority to tie counterterrorism grants to routine election administration procedures.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]
• Plaintiffs including local municipalities in Texas, Tennessee, and Ohio successfully challenged the policy in federal court.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]

Key facts

• Judge Amir Ali ruled that FEMA exceeded its congressional authority by conditioning counterterrorism grant funds on election changes.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]
• FEMA's policy required states and high-risk urban areas to mandate citizenship checks, manual audits, and paper ballots or risk losing 20% of their grant allocations.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]
• The legal challenge was initiated by local governments in Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.[CNBC · The Washington Sun]
• The Brennan Center for Justice stated that tens of millions of dollars in federal grant funds were affected by the rule.[CNBC]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Feds can't withhold counterterrorism funds from states to force election admin changes, judge rulesCNBC
• Judge Blocks Trump From Pulling Counteterrorism Funds Over His Election DemandsThe Washington Sun · Wire: associated-press