On April 23, 2025, the federal government filed a compliance report with the District Court for the District of Rhode Island in Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council v. USDA (No. 25-cv-97). The lawsuit was brought against USDA, DOE, DOI, EPA, HUD, and OMB for withholding Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds pursuant to President Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order and OMB Memorandum M-25-13.
According to the compliance report, USDA leadership has instructed agency staff to release funds for all IRA awards that had been affected by the funding freeze while the litigation is pending in response to the court’s preliminary injunction. The report states that the agency is processing reimbursement requests in the normal course, but some awardees may still not have received payment yet.