USDA Conditional Funding

On March 23, 2026, a coalition of 21 attorneys general filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts against the Trump Administration over its unconstitutional and unlawful attempt to impose conditions on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, grants, cooperative agreements, and mutual interest agreements. We argue that the Trump Administration has violated the Spending Clause by imposing coercive conditions without clear notice of its funding conditions. The lawsuit also alleges the Trump Administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) because conditions are the arbitrary and capricious, unconstitutional, contrary to law, and beyond USDA’s statutory authority.