Judge blocks Trump cuts to WA climate resilience money
Oct. 23, 2025 at 9:32 am
Tribal nations are on the front lines of climate change, such as at the Quinault Indian Nation on the Olympic Peninsula, which suffered a storm surge and flood in January 2021. (Larry Workman / Quinault Indian Nation)
By
Isabella Breda
Seattle Times staff reporter
A federal judge in Seattlethis week blocked the Trump administration’s termination of more than $9 million for work in Washington state intended to help adapt to climate change.
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Tribal Steward Program received about $9.3 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to train more than 2,000 college students in fields on the front lines of climate change such as environmental science and natural resources. The state aimed to also grow the representation of tribal members working in natural resource roles across the state.
“At the time of Tribal Stewards proposal,” the state’s August complaint states, “eleven employers had already committed to employ Tribal Stewards graduates in 33 internships and 465 full-time jobs.”
This program, and $250,000 for work by the state Department of Ecology aimed at reducing coastal hazards, were terminated on May 5.
“ … allowing a change in an administration to upend multiyear grants would cause unnecessary chaos across the vast world of government-supported endeavors undertaken by states, universities, nonprofits, and others,” U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman wrote in her Wednesday order granting a preliminary injunction.
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Climate change has brought more severe heat waves, wildfires, drought, flooding and coastal hazards in Washington, the state’s complaint says. These impacts combined with sea level rise, ocean acidification, the loss of mountain snowpack and other climate threats present increasing harm to Washington’s environment, communities, infrastructure and economy.
The year 2024 was the warmest since the start of global records in 1850, the complaint states: “Resilience to climate-related hazards is more important now than ever before.”
“Washingtonians are already contending with the devastating effects of climate change — including the deadly heat wave in 2021,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a Wednesday news release. “We’re grateful for this win in court protecting congressionally authorized funds that will help communities on the front lines of climate change.”
Isabella Breda: 206-652-6536 or ibreda@seattletimes.com. Isabella Breda is a reporter with The Seattle Times' Climate Lab.
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