New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez Announces Temporary Restraining Order in Response to Trump Administration Federal Fund Freeze

Santa Fe, NM – Today Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced that New Mexico has joined a coalition of 22 states challenging the Trump administration’s unconstitutional order freezing federal funds to programs administered by the states and disrupting the delivery of essential services including healthcare, law enforcement, education, infrastructure and community development.

Attorney General Torrez has been in close contact with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and requested a comprehensive review of all programmatic areas impacted by this decision, but we can confirm that the State of New Mexico has experienced disruptions in service and funding across the government. Without immediate judicial intervention the State of New Mexico stands to lose billions of dollars in direct aid and tens of thousands of New Mexicans will no longer have access to critical services.

“President Trump’s decision to halt critical funding for law enforcement, healthcare, housing and early childhood education is not only unlawful, it is reckless,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “It is too early to tell the full scope of the chaos created by Trump’s decision, but New Mexicans can rest assured that we will not stop fighting for them and that this unconstitutional power grab will not go unchecked.”

The vague language used in the Memorandum issued by the Office of Management of Budget and the lack of communication with either federal agencies or the states has disrupted services across a range of critical issues. The Attorney General emphasized that the consequences of these disruptions would be felt most acutely by marginalized groups, small businesses, and rural areas already grappling with economic and social challenges.

The lawsuit filed today seeks to immediately restore funding for critical services while the coalition’s broader legal challenge proceeds. This multistate effort underscores the collective commitment of attorneys general across the nation to stand up for their constituents and safeguard programs essential to public welfare.

The coalition’s legal action highlights the far-reaching impact of the funding freeze and the urgent need to address the matter in court. The NMDOJ remains committed to pushing back against federal policies that disproportionately harm its citizens and to ensure access to critical funding.

We encourage anyone affected by the federal financial freeze to input information into our online portal which can be found here: Federal Fund Freeze – New Mexico Department of Justice.

A copy of the multistate filing is below, along with the associated press conference.

New York et al. v. Trump et al.

Press Conference: