The city of Chicago is leading a new fight against the Trump Administration over federal disaster relief, and it has company.
A lawsuit filed today in federal district court in Chicago calls on the court to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from imposing conditions or restrictions on disaster relief money.
In it, city Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry notes that for 75 years, Congress has directed the federal government to provide assistance to states and local governments in the wake of natural or human-made disasters … and that for the first time, the Trump Administration is demanding that communities receiving that money agree to abide by its agenda, including, for instance, an elimination of policies on diversity, equity and inclusion.
The lawsuit says those conditions undermine the intent of Congress.
New York, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, New Haven and Baltimore are also parties to the lawsuit.
We’ve asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment.