{"id":2481495,"date":"2025-09-02T13:49:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T17:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-circuit-agrees-trump-can-terminate-epa-climate-grants\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T13:49:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T17:49:55","slug":"d-c-circuit-agrees-trump-can-terminate-epa-climate-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-circuit-agrees-trump-can-terminate-epa-climate-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"D.C. Circuit Agrees Trump Can Terminate EPA &#8216;Climate&#8217; Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fd-c-circuit-agrees-trump-can-terminate-epa-climate-grants%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2481495&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The D.C. Circuit Court panel has overturned an injunction that previously blocked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from cutting $16 billion in climate-related grants to five nonprofit organizations. The 2-1 ruling sided with the Trump management, allowing the EPA to proceed with ending these grants due to concerns over conflicts of interest and oversight. The original injunction was issued by Judge Tanya Chutkan after the grant recipients sued, but the appellate judges found that the district court abused its discretion and that the plaintiffs&#8217; claims were meritless, as they are primarily contractual and should be handled by the Court of Federal Claims. This decision aligns with recent Supreme Court rulings supporting the government&#8217;s authority to terminate certain federal grants, in cases where lower courts had attempted to block such actions. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch has criticized lower courts for defying Supreme Court precedents in these grant-related disputes. The plaintiffs are expected to appeal the D.C.Circuit&#8217;s ruling.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Environmental_Protection_Agency_building_(15011151177).jpg\">USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=D.C.%20Circuit%20Revokes%20%E2%80%98Abusive%E2%80%99%20Injunction%20Barring%20Trump%20From%20Slashing%20EPA%20%E2%80%98Climate%E2%80%99%20Grants&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=D.C.%20Circuit%20Revokes%20%E2%80%98Abusive%E2%80%99%20Injunction%20Barring%20Trump%20From%20Slashing%20EPA%20%E2%80%98Climate%E2%80%99%20Grants&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=D.C.%20Circuit%20Revokes%20%E2%80%98Abusive%E2%80%99%20Injunction%20Barring%20Trump%20From%20Slashing%20EPA%20%E2%80%98Climate%E2%80%99%20Grants&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/02\/d-c-circuit-revokes-abusive-injunction-barring-trump-from-slashing-epa-climate-grants\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>In a major win for the Trump administration, a D.C. Circuit Court panel lifted an injunction on Tuesday that attempted to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from terminating &ldquo;climate&rdquo; grants to several nongovernmental groups. <\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.cadc.41951\/gov.uscourts.cadc.41951.01208771608.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2-1 decision<\/a>, the panel agreed that the EPA can move forward with cutting grants totaling $16 billion to five nonprofit organizations &ldquo;to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.&rdquo; Judges Neomi Rao and Greg Katsas sided with the government, while Judge Cornelia Pillard dissented.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1849473228\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The administration announced its plans to end distribution of the funds in March over what the D.C. Circuit panel described as &ldquo;concerns about conflicts of interest and lack of oversight.&rdquo; This prompted the intended grant recipients to sue in federal court, which resulted in D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issuing an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/09\/02\/appeals-court-epa-climate-grant-00539926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">injunction<\/a> ordering the administration to continue dispersing the monies. <\/p>\n<p>(Most Americans are likely familiar with Chutkan&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tanya-chutkan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">egregious conduct<\/a> in the Biden administration&rsquo;s lawfare against then-candidate Donald Trump and Jan. 6-related cases.)<\/p>\n<p>Writing for the majority in Tuesday&rsquo;s ruling, Rao concluded that Chutkan &ldquo;abused [her] discretion in issuing the injunction&rdquo; in the first place. The circuit judge further noted that &ldquo;while the district court had jurisdiction over the grantees&rsquo; constitutional claim, that claim is meritless.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The grantees are not likely to succeed on the merits because their claims are essentially contractual, and therefore jurisdiction lies exclusively in the Court of Federal Claims,&rdquo; Rao wrote. &ldquo;Moreover, the equities strongly favor the government, which on behalf of the public must ensure the proper oversight and management of this <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >multi-billion-dollar fund<\/a>. Accordingly, we vacate the injunction.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs &ldquo;are expected to appeal the decision,&rdquo; according to left-wing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/09\/02\/appeals-court-epa-climate-grant-00539926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Politico<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Tuesday&rsquo;s ruling appears to fall in line with recent orders issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on grant-related cases. <\/p>\n<p>In <em>Department of Education v. California<\/em> and <em>National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association<\/em>, the high court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/22\/justice-gorsuch-gives-rogue-lower-courts-the-smackdown-they-deserve\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> temporary stays on lower court injunctions attempting to bar the Trump administration from terminating grants distributed by the Education Department and National Institutes of Health, respectively. In both cases, a majority of justices agreed (for now) that the government can move forward with ending the distribution of such funds. <\/p>\n<p>The lower courts&rsquo; willingness to rebuke the Supreme Court&rsquo;s guidance as established in the <em>California<\/em> case prompted swift backlash from Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/22\/justice-gorsuch-gives-rogue-lower-courts-the-smackdown-they-deserve\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">concurring opinion<\/a> in the court&rsquo;s Aug. 21 <em>NIH<\/em> order, the Trump appointee noted that while &ldquo;[l]ower court judges may sometimes disagree with this Court&rsquo;s decisions &hellip; they are never free to defy them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]his is now the third time in a matter of weeks this Court has had to intercede in a case &lsquo;squarely controlled&rsquo; by one of its precedents,&rdquo; Gorsuch wrote. &ldquo;All these interventions should have been unnecessary, but together they underscore a basic tenet of our judicial system: Whatever their own views, judges are duty-bound to respect &lsquo;the hierarchy of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gorsuch-gives-rogue-courts-the-smackdown-they-deserve\/\" title=\"... Gives Rogue ...s The Smackdown They Deserve\">federal court system created<\/a> by the Constitution and Congress.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Gorsuch was joined in his opinion by Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who concurred in part and dissented in part. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/climate-alarmism\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">climate alarmism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cornelia-pillard\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Cornelia Pillard<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/d-c-circuit-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">D.C. Circuit Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-education-v-california\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Education v. California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/environmental-protection-agency\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-nevada-a-corrupt-cash-for-votes-scheme-is-hiding-in-plain-sight\/\" title=\"In Nevada, A Corrupt Cash-For-Votes Scheme Is Hiding In Plain Sight\">environmental protection agency<\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/epa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">EPA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/federal-grants\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">federal grants<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/greg-katsas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Greg Katsas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/judicial-coup\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">judicial coup<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/national-institutes-of-health-v-american-public-health-association\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/neil-gorsuch\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/neomi-rao\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Neomi Rao<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ngos\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">NGOs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tanya-chutkan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Tanya Chutkan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>D.C. Circuit lifts injunction blocking EPA grant cuts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2481496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EPA.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62440,61356,10732,21306,3634],"class_list":["post-2481495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-climate-grants","tag-d-c-circuit","tag-epa","tag-termination","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EPA.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2481495"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2481499,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481495\/revisions\/2481499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2481496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2481495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2481495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2481495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}