Kentucky Joins Frozen Federal Funds Lawsuits Against Trump: Federal Government Has 'Broken Their Word'

During a press briefing on Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) answered a question about a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Governor. Governor, can you talk about the lawsuit that you've joined with other states

00:06over the freezing of unemployment funds that was already appropriated by Congress?

00:11And why are you joining the suit as opposed to the Attorney General?

00:15And then also, how do you envision the future of EV stations in the state amid cuts? Thank you.

00:22So I, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, have joined a number of lawsuits where the federal government has broken their word

00:32and is unlawfully withholding funds that we were awarded, that we're due,

00:38and in many cases that we have already paid out some of the money, and this is reimbursement.

00:44So the way all this works is Congress passes a law where they create a program like the NEVI program,

00:50which is helping to build charging stations throughout the Commonwealth,

00:54or education funding through the Department of Education.

00:59Congress then appropriates the money that goes through that program and says,

01:03this state shall receive this or that, or creates a competitive grant program.

01:07We then sign a contract with the federal government that says what we'll do,

01:11and they agree to provide those dollars, and oftentimes we pay our own money up front and then get reimbursement.

01:18So what's happening when the federal government tries to freeze these funds,

01:23or they're ignoring the law that's been passed, the appropriation that's been passed,

01:27they're breaking a contract and their word, and we're hurt by our reliance that the federal government would do what they said

01:34and have already paid out dollars.

01:37I mean, these are, in the end, pretty simple lawsuits.

01:40The federal government shouldn't be doing it, but these are dollars that Kentucky is owed,

01:46and I want to make sure that we get each and every one of those dollars.

01:51You know, I can file these lawsuits.

01:53The attorney general can file them.

01:55You'd have to ask him on his end, but he hasn't pushed back very hard on us filing them.

02:01So I've got no criticism there as long as Kentucky is represented and we can get our dollars.

02:06Now, with a recent Supreme Court case on nationwide injunctions, states, if they want to receive some of these dollars, have to get involved.

02:16If you sit on the sidelines, you don't get the $10 million or the $70 million or the $80 million that you've been expecting.

02:23So, you know, to me, this isn't about politics.

02:26It's not my party versus the president's.

02:28It's that I have a contract, and I'm just asking the federal government to live up to the agreement that they made.