The Elicker administration has joined another lawsuit against the Trump administration — this time contesting a new “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that the mayor warns is “just the opposite” of what its name claims to be.
City spokesperson Lenny Speiller announced that latest legal effort in an email press release sent out on Friday afternoon.
The City of New Haven is the only city that has signed onto the lawsuit, Andrew Floyd et al v. U.S. Department of Justice et al, as a plaintiff.
Other plaintiffs include fired Assistant U.S. Attorney and Jan. 6 prosecutor Andrew Floyd; California State University Channel Islands Professor John Caravello, who was acquitted of charges that he assaulted a federal officer during a protest; the National Abortion Federation, and government accountability organization Common Cause. The lawsuit was filed on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The lawsuit is in opposition to the Trump’s administration’s newly created $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which was formed to compensate those who claim they were targeted by the government and which arose from a settlement between President Donald Trump and the IRS.
The plaintiffs claim that the fund is discriminatory and favors allies of Trump and those who claim to be victims of government “weaponization” by Democrats. They also claim that it creates “a politically discriminatory process that excludes many of the plaintiffs – people alleging abuses by Republican officials or administrations.”
“The residents of New Haven work too hard to see their federal tax dollars go into some unregulated $1.7 billion political slush fund that President Trump and his administration can use to pay off his political cronies and criminals,” Mayor Justin Elicker is quoted as saying in Friday’s press release. He said that the fund is “the latest example of how President Trump is weaponizing every part of our federal government to advance his own personal interests and the personal interests of those who politically support him.
“The residents of New Haven want their hard-earned tax dollars to be used to fund critical public safety initiatives and infrastructure projects – like the ones the Trump administration is attempting to illegally terminate. As we have in the past, New Haven will continue to fight for our residents and stand up for the rule of law.”
Friday’s announcement comes after the U.S. Department of Justice sued the State of Connecticut, the City of New Haven, and Elicker, among others, in a bid to overturn New Haven’s “Welcoming City” order that limits local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Trump administration has also sought to freeze federal funds for cities that don’t aid federal agents in immigration arrests.
“The plaintiffs are asking the court to block implementation of the fund and prevent the administration from transferring or distributing any funds while the litigation proceeds,” Friday’s press release states. “As plaintiffs argue, the only way to end the disparate and illegal effects of the Anti-Weaponization Fund is by dissolving it and returning the money to the Judgment Fund, a fund that can only be used to settle imminent litigation of viable lawsuits, not meritless claims by the president and his family.”
The City of New Haven has joined six lawsuits against the Trump administration and joined 24 other amicus briefs, according to Speiller.
This story was first published May 22, 2026 by New Haven Independent.