PROVIDENCE, RI. — A Rhode Island federal judge ordered frozen funds already awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) be released and action be taken immediately.

Judge Mary S. McElroy — a President Donald Trump appointee — granted a preliminary injunction against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies. Her order was prompted by a lawsuit filed against the government agencies and their heads by six nonprofit groups.

The groups argued that the government violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by freezing billions of dollars from IRA and IIJA. By seeking a temporary injunction, the groups look for a court order to require funding faucets turn back on, at least while their court case is pending.

McElroy granted their motion, saying, “They have adequately shown at least three ways that the sudden, indefinite freeze of all already awarded IIJA and IRA money was arbitrary and capricious: it was neither reasonable nor reasonably explained, and it also failed to account for any reliance interests.”

While issuing the injunction, McElroy sought to be “crystal clear” that “elections have consequences, and the president is entitled to enact his agenda.” The job of the judiciary is not to weigh in on the soundness of the president’s policies but on the procedure — “or lack thereof” — that the government follows to enact its policies, she explained.

“Agencies do not have unlimited authority to further a president’s agenda, nor do they have unfettered power to hamstring in perpetuity two statutes passed by Congress during the previous administration,” McElroy wrote in her ruling.

In January, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy.” In it, he ordered all agencies pause funding through the IRA and IIJA immediately. While funds were halted, agencies were asked to review their processes and policies for issuing grants, loans or contracts.

With the preliminary injunction, USDA, EPA and the other agencies were ordered to “take immediate steps to resume the processing, disbursement and payment of already-awarded funding appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and to release awarded funds previously withheld or rendered inaccessible,” according to court documents.