CHICAGO – Chicago and eight other municipal governments filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging new conditions from the Trump administration, claiming they unlawfully restrict emergency grant funding based on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
What we know:
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, argued that the Department of Homeland Security’s new rules threaten tens of millions of dollars meant to support emergency preparedness and disaster response efforts. The conditions would require cities to certify that they do not operate programs promoting DEI or risk losing federal funds.
What they’re saying:
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city would not allow the federal government to “weaponize emergency funding to attack our values.”
“Ensuring that all Chicagoans have an opportunity to succeed is not discrimination; it’s just basic fairness,” Johnson said in a statement. “We will fight to ensure our first responders have the tools they need, that our commitment to equity and inclusion remains strong, and that we receive every federal dollar intended for public safety.”
City officials said the new rules violate the Constitution’s separation of powers by overriding Congress’s spending authority and are “arbitrary and capricious” because they lack justification and contradict the purpose of the grants.
Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry said the lawsuit seeks to ensure that Chicago’s emergency response systems “remain robust, inclusive, and grounded in constitutional principles.”
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the funding conditions unlawful and to block federal agencies from enforcing them.
Other cities included in the lawsuit include Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, New Haven, New York and Saint Paul.
The Source: The information in this report came from the City of Chicago.