Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joins lawsuit against President Trump over federal funding
Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday his office has joined a nationwide lawsuit against the administration of Republican President Donald Trump over a federal funding freeze that has affected various programs in Kentucky.
The lawsuit was initially filed by 22 Democratic state attorneys general in late January. Kentucky’s Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman did not sign on to the suit.
Beshear, who served as Kentucky’s attorney general prior to being elected governor, joined the lawsuit alongside another Democratic Governor, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro. Like Kentucky, Pennsylvania has a Democratic governor and Republican attorney general in Dave Sunday.
The initial funding freeze was recently blocked by a federal judge.
However, Beshear said it created bedlam for certain state programs.
“We have already seen the harms that this illegal freeze has caused,” he said. “We were shut out of the Medicaid system for most of a day… Without Medicaid, our rural hospitals would shut down and so many healthcare workers would lose their jobs.”
Beshear said though the overall freeze has been blocked “we still see areas that are not complying with the order” from the judge.
Some Kentucky farmers have been affected by the pause on conservation funds that helped farmers install water lines, plant ground cover and more.
The governor added the administration cannot currently access more than $6 million in funds to repair abandoned mine lands where they present a danger to people.
“We deserve to be able rely on the agreements that a federal government has made regardless of whatever party is in power,” Beshear said. “I was raised to say my word is my bond… This is just asking our federal government to do the same.”
Beshear also said the Appalachian Regional Commission, a group that he previously co-chaired, has had difficulty accessing funds.
He said partisan politics did not motivate his action, pointing to disagreements he’s had with former Democratic presidents like Barack Obama and Joe Biden when they were in office and he was serving as either attorney general or governor.
“I would have taken this action against any president, regardless of party, and I’ve done that in the past,” Beshear said.
The New York Times reported in late January that Beshear was one of a handful of Democratic governors on a call with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, pushing for more ways to combat Trump’s executive orders.
Beshear reportedly suggested Democratic governors whose states have GOP attorneys general needed to forge their own legal and communications strategies for fighting Trump’s policies.
Notably, both Beshear and Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor, are on the short list among several Democrats and members of the media to potentially run for president in 2028. They were also both considered potential running mates for Kamala Harris in 2024.
“It’s not about ‘Democrat this’ or ‘Republican that,’ it’s having Kentucky in a place where we can make the federal government meet its promised obligation.”
House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said that he hadn’t had time to review the lawsuit in full so couldn’t comment on its validity, but he wasn’t surprised that Beshear joined in.
“It should come as a shock to no one that this governor still hasn’t found a dollar that he doesn’t want to spend on something,” Osborne said.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 1:24 PM.
