Judge Declines To Force Fema To Release Funds To Upgrade Us Emergency Alert System

A federal judge on Monday declined to force the Trump administration to immediately reimburse dozens of public broadcasting stations for upgrades to the nation's emergency alert system.

The nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency last Thursday, claiming the agency had unlawfully held up nearly 2 million in grant money for modernizing the alert system. The lawsuit says the delay in reimbursements is hampering the ability of federal, state and local authorities to issue real-time emergency alerts.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly denied a request for a court order and ruled that the CPB failed to carry its legal burden for showing how it has been irreparably harmed. The corporation hasn't demonstrated that the alert system will stop working if the grant funding doesn't start flowing right away, Kelly concluded as he rejected the CPB's request for a temporary restraining order.

"This circuit has set a high standard for irreparable injury," Kelly said. "I don't think CPB has satisfied that high standard on the record here."

The lawsuit is one of several cases in which Trump's administration has been accused of illegally withholding funds for a host of programs and services.