Appeals Court Halts Federal Judge’s Order Mandating EPA to Disburse Billions to Climate Groups

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit handed a win to the Trump administration on Wednesday evening.

Then-EPA Administrator nominee Lee Zeldin speaks during his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 16, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

An appeals court blocked a lower court order that would have barred the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from terminating billions of dollars in grants to several climate groups.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit late Wednesday reversed an order issued by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan that would allow climate-related groups to access $14 billion of the $20 billion in grant money held by Citibank. Chutkan’s order also mandated that the EPA not suspend or terminate the grant awards program.