Judge blocks Trump administration from diverting disaster prevention grants

(Reuters) — A federal judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from diverting money from a multibillion-dollar grant program aimed at providing infrastructure to protect communities against natural disasters.

The injunction was issued by U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston, following a July 31 hearing.

Twenty mostly Democratic-led states sued the administration last month, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency lacked power to cancel the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program without Congressional approval.