Small Rhode Island Non-Profit Sues Trump Administration

Small Rhode Island Non-Profit Sues Trump Administration

A Providence-based non-profit is the lead litigant in a new lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The non-profit in Rhode Island is the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC).

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, names Brook Rollins, the secretary of Agriculture; Chris Wright, the Secretary of Energy; Doug Burgum, the secretary of the Interior; Lee Zeldin, the Administrator of the EPA; Russell Vought, the Director of OMB; and Kevin Hassett, the Director of the National Economic Council as defendants. 

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The 27-page lawsuit was filed in federal District Court in Rhode Island, which has been a hotbed for suits against the Trump administration’s cuts to Biden administration programs that had been funded by Congress.

The lawsuit asserts, “WRWC has a $1 million grant (as a subgrantee) funded by the U.S. Forest Service—but it has been frozen since January because the grant was funded under the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act]. That freeze has completely halted WRWC’s planned project of building capacity for urban forestry along the Woonasquatucket Greenway, and also disrupted WRWC’s operations more broadly."

For the small non-profit, $1 million is a significant sum. According to the WRWC's most recently posted IRS 990 filing for 2023, the organization's entire budget was $2,358,017.

“We were quite thrilled when we signed a contract for federal funding to enhance our Greenway with a huge urban forestry project,” said Alicia J. Lehrer, Executive Director of the WRWC. “This funding was promised to our community to expand urban forestry, create jobs, and enhance climate resilience along the Woonasquatucket River Greenway."

“Instead, it’s being withheld, disrupting not just our work but the work of nonprofits across the country," said Lehrer. 

Further WRWC claims, that it was eager to move forward with a major urban forestry project funded by federal investment, designed to enhance the Woonasquatucket River Greenway and benefit the 50,000 residents and diverse wildlife living within a 10-minute walk of the planned improvements. This funding would create new full-time jobs, engage local residents and partner organizations, and bring together hundreds of people to learn about the project and become long-term stewards. WRWC is facing a shortfall of over $1,000,000 due to the freeze, claims the group.

Ultimately, the lawsuit claims that the administration’s actions violate federal law by arbitrarily blocking critical investments. Democracy Forward, a political group, and DeLuca, Weizenbaum, Barry & Revens are representing the plaintiffs pro bono. Democracy Forward has filed multiple lawsuits against Trump's policies.

The other litigants in the suit are the National Council of Nonprofits, the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District, and Green Infrastructure Center. 

This story was first published 3/16/25 6:28 AM