Environmental Grant Lawsuits Filed in Wrong Courts, US Contends

The US government says two lawsuits challenging the termination of federal environmental grants were filed in the wrong courts and should be dismissed.

In papers filed Monday at the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the government said neither place was correct for the suit. The claims are contractual, the Trump administration said, and should have been brought at the US Court of Federal Claims.

Both responses also assert the challenged actions are committed to agency discretion by law, rebutting arguments they were unconstitutional.

The lawsuits, filed earlier ...