New York Attorney General Letitia James has joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general to challenge the Trump administration’s suspension of billions in foreign assistance funds—cuts that threaten critical global health, development, and disaster recovery programs, including many in the Caribbean.
In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Global Health Council v. Trump, the coalition argues that the president lacks the authority to unilaterally block foreign aid that has already been approved by Congress. The suspended funds, funneled through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department, support essential programs in over 100 countries—including Caribbean nations that rely on aid for disaster resilience, public health, and food security.
“Every year, our foreign aid programs bring together America’s small businesses, farmers, and top researchers to help save hundreds of thousands of lives across the globe,” said Attorney General James. “USAID has made our country and the world safer and more prosperous for decades, and this administration does not have the power to gut it on a whim.”
The cuts began in February 2025, when the administration started suspending thousands of USAID grants, effectively freezing much of the agency’s programming. The impacted funds include support for food aid for children facing malnutrition, emergency shelter for families displaced by conflict, and life-saving disease prevention initiatives targeting AIDS and malaria—programs with a tangible presence across the Caribbean.
For countries in the Caribbean—many of which face ongoing recovery from natural disasters and the effects of climate change—USAID-funded initiatives have supported hurricane preparedness, climate-resilient agriculture, COVID-19 vaccine outreach, and HIV treatment programs.
Attorney General James highlighted the wide-reaching domestic impact of the aid freeze as well. “The administration’s cuts have halted more than $550 million in research grants and contracts in states,” she said, noting that New York universities, farmers, and nonprofits all rely on USAID funding to conduct global health research and implement development programs abroad.
The coalition’s brief maintains that the Constitution vests Congress—not the president—with the power of the purse, and allowing the executive branch to withhold already-appropriated funds sets a dangerous precedent. The attorneys general also emphasize that abrupt changes to federal funding endanger not only humanitarian work but also essential state-level programs dependent on predictable federal support.
The coalition is urging the appeals court to uphold a lower court’s preliminary injunction that blocked the administration from withholding USAID funds.
Joining Attorney General James in filing the brief are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
