New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a legal victory preventing the Trump administration from eliminating four federal agencies. The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted summary judgment in favor of James and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general, permanently blocking the administration from dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).
Attorney General James responded to the decision by stating, “The federal government’s illegal attack on these agencies threatened vital resources for workers, small businesses, and the most vulnerable in our communities. This is a major victory in our ongoing work to defend important services that New Yorkers rely on every day. I will keep fighting to stop the chaos and destruction of this administration’s attempts to dismantle our government.”
The lawsuit was initially filed in April after an Executive Order aimed at dissolving IMLS, MBDA, and FMCS was announced. These agencies provide support through grants, business development programs for minority-owned businesses, and labor dispute mediation services. In May, a preliminary injunction was obtained to halt implementation of the order.
In June, USICH—which coordinates efforts to address homelessness—was added to the lawsuit after it too became targeted by the same Executive Order.
James and her colleagues argued that only Congress has authority over agency creation or dissolution under both constitutional law and administrative procedures. The court agreed with this position, finding that presidential action could not override congressional intent or funding.
This legal challenge was led by Attorney General James alongside her counterparts from Rhode Island and Hawaii. Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington state and Wisconsin also joined as plaintiffs.
