Attorney General Phil Weiser sues DHS, FEMA to recover grants to combat terrorism

Feb. 25, 2026 (DENVER) – Attorney General Phil Weiser today led a group of state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for illegally and abruptly ending millions in grants to states to prevent targeted violence and terrorist attacks.

Created by Congress in 2020, the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) grant program is the only source of federal dollars dedicated to funding local, proactive targeted violence and counterterrorism efforts. These funds represent a significant source of financial support for states, including state agencies, health facilities, state universities, and state and local law enforcement to identify threats and prevent targeted attacks by violent extremists.

Despite real and persistent threats to public safety throughout the country, on July 21, 2025, DHS and FEMA wrongfully and immediately terminated TVTP grant awards mid-funding stream. According to DHS, the awards no longer achieved the program goals or priorities of the Trump administration. Colorado stands to lose $337,644 for the Preventing Targeted Violence Program run by the state department of public safety.

“The Trump administration has unlawfully ended millions in grants used to prevent targeted violence and terrorism, not because the risks have decreased, but rather to punish states the president doesn’t like. In Colorado, we have seen these threats materialize recently, with the firebombing on the Pearl St. Mall in Boulder and an Evergreen High School shooting by a student reportedly radicalized by extremism online. These federal funds are critical for the state to work with local law enforcement to address such threats, which are about saving lives and have no political or partisan elements to them. That’s why we are suing to recover these illegally withheld grants,” said Attorney General Weiser.

The states allege in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that the administration’s actions constitute a breach of the grant agreements. The agreements contain terms covering the specific and exclusive grounds for grant termination, such as a grantee’s material failure to comply, and do not allow the government to unilaterally terminate based on partisan grounds or shifts in priorities from one administration to the next. In addition, the grant terminations also violate the government’s duty of good faith and fair dealing.

For these reasons, the suing states say they are entitled to recover money damages for the breach of the grant Agreements caused by the Trump administration’s illegal actions.

Attorney General Weiser, Attorney General Anthony Brown of Maryland, and Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota are co-leading the lawsuit, and they are joined by the attorneys general from Hawai‘i, Michigan, and Rhode Island.

Read the lawsuit State of Colorado v. United States (PDF).

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Media Contact:
Lawrence Pacheco
Chief Communications Officer
(720) 508-6553 office
lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov