WASHINGTON (AP) —A Federal court on Thursday ordered the Department of Agriculture to restore grants to farming organizations.
The court ruled that six grants must be restored to organizations that lost their funding after several Trump administration Executive Orders and at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The ruling “sets a strong precedent that could allow hundreds of other grants to be challenged and reinstated,” environmental nonprofit Earthjustice said in a statement.
Plaintiffs included groups that support causes like tree planting, climate-friendly farming practices and growing food in underserved communities.
The total value of the terminated grants was over $34 million, the attorneys said.
“In the wake of this ruling, we hope the USDA stops arbitrarily cancelling grants and contracts without an understanding of the work being done,” said Erin McKee, community food systems program director at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, one of the plaintiffs.