Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday joined 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 efforts to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. 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 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. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Michigan State Police was awarded $425,845 through the TVTP program. The grant, along with prior TVTP awards, funded the creation of the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) team, a pilot program in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties. The multi-disciplinary, community-based team follows a public health model to combat targeted violence and terrorism prevention and has had several successful interventions.
“TVTP grants support critical violence and terrorism prevention efforts in our state, helping identify threats early and intervene before lives are lost,” said Attorney General Nessel. “Combating terrorism should be a priority of any administration. Instead, the Trump White House has abruptly and unlawfully terminated these grants, throwing essential programs across the country into uncertainty, jeopardizing the safety of our communities, and undermining years of proactive work to prevent such acts of violence. I remain committed to fighting to restore this funding that protects the people of our state.”
The coalition alleges 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 coalition says it is entitled to recover money damages for the breach of the grant agreements caused by the Trump administration’s illegal actions.
Nessel joins the attorneys general from Colorado, Hawai‘i, Maryland, Minnesota, and Rhode Island in filing the lawsuit.
Despite real and persistent threats to public safety throughout the country, on July 21, 2025, DHS and FEMA 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. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Michigan State Police was awarded $425,845 through the TVTP program. The grant, along with prior TVTP awards, funded the creation of the Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) team, a pilot program in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties. The multi-disciplinary, community-based team follows a public health model to combat targeted violence and terrorism prevention and has had several successful interventions.
“TVTP grants support critical violence and terrorism prevention efforts in our state, helping identify threats early and intervene before lives are lost,” said Attorney General Nessel. “Combating terrorism should be a priority of any administration. Instead, the Trump White House has abruptly and unlawfully terminated these grants, throwing essential programs across the country into uncertainty, jeopardizing the safety of our communities, and undermining years of proactive work to prevent such acts of violence. I remain committed to fighting to restore this funding that protects the people of our state.”
The coalition alleges 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 coalition says it is entitled to recover money damages for the breach of the grant agreements caused by the Trump administration’s illegal actions.
Nessel joins the attorneys general from Colorado, Hawai‘i, Maryland, Minnesota, and Rhode Island in filing the lawsuit.
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