The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the Trump administration violated a 51-year-old law by freezing funding for electric vehicle infrastructure programs. The independent watchdog agency investigated at least 39 cases of alleged law-breaking, including this one.
The GAO ruled that the Department of Transportation broke the Impoundment Control Act by suspending new obligations under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program without congressional approval. This program aims to build charging stations across the country as part of a $5 billion bipartisan infrastructure initiative.
The Trump administration argued that the law is unconstitutional, but the GAO disagreed. The agency stated that Congress has the power to decide how funds are spent, citing the Constitution.
The Department of Transportation claimed that pausing the charger program was necessary for rewriting grant rules, but the GAO dismissed this argument. To make changes, the president must send a rescissions request or propose new legislation.
The GAO also ruled that the Transportation Department misinterpreted when funds were “obligated” under the program. This decision affects how states spent $526 million in already obligated funds when the program was paused.
A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget called the GAO’s opinion “wrong,” but the agency remains undeterred. The Trump administration faces a lawsuit from 17 states over frozen EV charger funding, adding to its growing list of law-breaking allegations.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/22/trump-administration-violated-impoundment-law-gao-finds-00365728