Shapiro sues Trump administration over conditions tied to Pennsylvania security funding

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced July 23, 2026, that Pennsylvania is suing the Trump administration over conditions attached to federal homeland-security grant money. The state says the policy could put nearly $6 million in 2026 funding at risk unless Pennsylvania changes how it administers elections.

The lawsuit challenges conditions on money from the 2026 Homeland Security Grant Program, which supports security and emergency-preparedness work. Pennsylvania is contesting the conditions before a documented loss of grant money, rather than reporting that the funding has already been withheld.

Election policy tied to security money

According to Shapiro’s office, the federal conditions require states to adopt federal election-policy preferences in order to receive the funds. The state’s legal action places a dispute over election administration alongside funding intended for homeland-security and public-safety purposes.

The governor’s office says the policy could allow the federal government to withhold 20% of a state’s total funding under the Homeland Security Grant Program. For Pennsylvania, the state estimates that nearly $6 million is at stake.

Those figures describe a potential withholding under the policy, not an actual reduction that has already occurred. The available source material does not document a suspension or withholding of Pennsylvania’s grant allocation.

Pennsylvania’s position is that it should not have to make the election-administration changes sought by the federal government to receive its full 2026 grant funding. The state is challenging the federal conditions through the lawsuit announced by Shapiro.

What Pennsylvania says is affected

The governor’s office says the conditions threaten emergency-preparedness and public-safety work supported by the grant program. That is the state’s assessment of the potential consequence of losing part of the funding; the source packet does not identify specific projects, agencies or programs that would be reduced if money were withheld.

The dispute matters because it links federal funding for security and preparedness to state election administration. It also raises a state-federal question over the extent to which grant conditions can be used to seek changes in election policy.

The governor’s office characterizes the conditions as unlawful. That is Pennsylvania’s legal position, not a court finding. No court has resolved the merits of the state’s challenge in the material available for this report.

Earlier election-related litigation

The new dispute follows an earlier Pennsylvania lawsuit involving federal election-related executive action and mail voting, according to the governor’s office. The supplied material does not provide further details about that case, including its status or outcome.

That earlier legal action provides the limited available context for the current case: Pennsylvania has previously challenged federal action related to elections, and it is now contesting conditions tied to a homeland-security funding program.

What happens next

The immediate next step is the litigation over the grant conditions. The supplied record does not include the filed complaint, a response from the federal government, a hearing date, a filing deadline or another court schedule.

For now, the central distinction is between the funding risk described by Pennsylvania and an established funding cut. Shapiro’s administration says nearly $6 million could be lost under the policy, while the available record does not show that Pennsylvania has already lost that money.

Sources

• Gov Shapiro Takes Legal Action to Challenge Trump Administration’s Decision to Hold Critical Security Funding Hostage, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania