Federal court blocks Trump administration from separating 2 transgender airmen
Two transgender men, Master Sgt. Logan Ireland and Staff Sgt. Nicholas Bear Bade, had argued in a lawsuit that President Trump's executive orders proclaiming the government recognizes only two sexes — male and female — and barring trans people from serving openly in the military subject them and other trans service members 'to unequal, harmful, and demeaning treatment.'
Ireland and Bade, both members of the U.S. Air Force, also challenged the implementation of those orders by acting Air Force Secretary Gary Ashworth and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who over the weekend mocked on social media the Washington, D.C., judge who said Trump's ban on trans military service is 'soaked in animus' and blocked it nationwide.
In a March 19 post on the social platform X, Hegseth wrote that the Pentagon is appealing that decision, 'and we will win.'
The Pentagon in February instructed military leaders to begin identifying transgender service members within 30 days and begin 'separation actions' within 60 days. Like Trump's Jan. 27 executive order on transgender troops, the Feb. 26 policy memo from the Defense Department suggests a history of gender dysphoria — severe psychological distress that stems from a mismatch between a person's gender identity and sex at birth — is incompatible with military service.
A 2016 RAND Corp. study commissioned by the Pentagon found that allowing trans individuals to serve had no negative impact on unit cohesion, operational effectiveness or readiness.
Because of Trump's orders and the Pentagon's policies effectuating them, Ireland and Bade have been placed on administrative absence, which their lawsuit claims 'is the way the U.S. Military fires people.'
'It is a process typically used for misconduct or failing to meet standards, not for treatable medical conditions where the service member meets the requirements for service, including both job performance and fitness standards,' states the lawsuit, filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. 'As such, involuntary administrative separation carries with it a stigma that can follow a service member beyond their time in the military.'
Ireland, 37, has served with distinction in the Air Force for more than 14 years, including tours in Afghanistan, Qatar, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. The 2015 New York Times short documentary 'Transgender, at War, and in Love' chronicled part of his coming-out journey.
Bade, 44, has served with distinction in the Air Force for six years and was, until recently, deployed to the Ali Al Salem Airbase in Kuwait as a member of the base's Security Forces.
In her ruling on Monday, U.S. District Judge Christine O'Hearn, an appointee of former President Biden, wrote that both Ireland and Bade 'have exemplary service records' and 'face severe personal and professional harm absent a preliminary injunction.'
'In contrast,' she wrote, 'Defendants have not demonstrated any compelling justification whatsoever for immediate implementation of the Orders, particularly since transgender persons have been openly serving in the military for a number of years.'
Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, one of the organizations representing Ireland and Bade in court, said Monday in a statement that the group is 'relieved' by O'Hearn's ruling.
'Staff Sergeant Bade and Master Sergeant Ireland had both already fallen victim to this administration's aggressive implementation of the ban, being yanked from key deployments and forced onto administrative absence against their will,' she said. 'These Airmen have risked everything to protect American freedoms—they deserve better than becoming the targets of a calculated, political purge.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump and California: Court to decide legality of National Guard deployment to Los Angeles
A three-day bench trial will begin Monday over whether President Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles violated a general prohibition on using federal troops as civilian law enforcement. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer will hear testimony from three military and immigration officials as the judge weighs whether sending in troops to combat immigration protests violated the Posse Comitatus Act. It marks a major legal confrontation between Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has condemned the deployment as political theater and broadly framed himself as the face of resistance against the president's agenda. Only 300 of the nearly 5,000 guardsmen sent to Los Angeles in June remain, but the trial is moving ahead as Newsom urges Trump to send the remaining troops home. Marines were also deployed but were released last month. 'It reinforces the litigation strategy,' Newsom told reporters last week. 'Those things are not coincidental,' the governor continued. 'Had we not positioned ourselves, had we not postured with that litigation approach, we would not be in this position with that withdrawal.' Trial to focus on troops' operations Newsom sued Trump in June as he federalized the California National Guard to combat immigration protests in Los Angeles that sometimes turned violent. The California Democrat has emerged unsuccessful so far. Breyer ruled Trump illegally federalized the National Guard and ordered he hand back control to Newsom, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals quickly lifted the ruling until it resolves the administration's appeal. That decision is likely still months away. As the appeal over Trump's authority proceeds, it does not address what activities the guardsmen may engage in while on the ground. That's the subject of this week's trial. Newsom asserts the deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 federal law that generally bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement. Some of the troops have been stationed at several federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles, which is not at issue. But the state has taken aim at troops who've went elsewhere to accompany immigration agents, including during a violent raid at a cannabis farm last month that left one dead. The administration argues the Posse Comitatus Act provides no pathway for California to sue. Even if it did, the administration contends the law is superseded by another statute it argues expressly authorizes the guardsmen's efforts. 'Accompanying federal law enforcement officials for their protection as those officials enforce federal immigration laws does not mean that the troops are themselves engaging in law enforcement,' the administration wrote in court filings. But California warned that the position would give Trump unchecked power. 'It simply is not the law that Defendants may deploy standing armies to the streets of California while California is powerless to do anything about that clear violation of the most fundamental principles of our Nation's founding,' California wrote in court filings last week. ICE, military officials to testify The parties are expected to summon a total of three witnesses, court records show. Newsom plans to call Ernesto Santacruz, who leads Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Los Angeles field office. The state also intends to call William Harrington and Major General Scott Sherman, leaders of an Army task force that has tactical control over the deployed federalized guardsmen. The Trump administration also will call Sherman but did not list any other witness. The parties estimated the combined testimony will last upwards of eight hours, not including cross examination. Breyer has indicated he expects the witnesses to conclude by Tuesday. Then, the judge will then hear legal arguments from both sides. The Justice Department insists the trial is unnecessary. It asked Breyer to forego the proceedings and immediately toss Newsom's claims, but the judge declined to do so. 'Next week's trial is not cancelled. The Court expects to hear evidence beginning on Monday,' Breyer ruled last week. Among first trials challenging Trump policies This week's proceeding is one of the first full-fledged trials challenging one of Trump's actions since returning to the White House. His administration faces more than 300 lawsuits challenging major policies in total. But most plaintiffs have pressed their claims in truncated, emergency proceedings. Several judges have converted those emergency rulings into final judgments, sending the case to the appeals courts without going through an actual trial. Breyer's trial follows two others held this summer. Last month, a Boston-based federal judge conducted a bench trial challenging the Trump administration's arrests of pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses. He has not yet ruled. The same judge in June held a bench trial on Democratic states and health groups' bid to reinstate nearly $800 million in health grants the administration cancelled over links to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The judge ruled for the plaintiffs, and the Justice Department has filed an emergency appeal at the Supreme Court, which could rule at any time. This week's trial will unfold in Breyer's courtroom in San Francisco. The Justice Department has criticized California for filing its lawsuit there 'hundreds of miles from the scene.' Breyer was appointed by former President Clinton and is the younger brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. The trial marks a major moment for California Attorney General Rob Bonta's (D) office, which is suing alongside Newsom. Bonta has taken pride in the barrage of litigation he has brought against Trump. Last week, Bonta touted that he is a plaintiff in 37 lawsuits against the administration and has restored over $168 billion in funding to California. 'The moment the Trump administration stops breaking the law and violating the Constitution, we'll stop suing. Simple,' Bonta told reporters last week.
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Morning Report — Trump puts DC on high alert
Trump puts FBI crime fighters on D.C. streets Ukraine fights for spot at Trump-Putin summit Netanyahu on defensive with Gaza takeover Experts go to school on elementary students President Trump today will explain what he sees as a role for FBI law enforcers on Washington, D.C., streets as part of his crackdown against violent crime. The FBI began over the weekend to dispatch about 120 agents to work overnight shifts to help local law enforcement prevent carjackings and violence as Trump scheduled a news conference for this morning. He said he wants to 'stop violent crime' and tackle homeless encampments in the nation's capital after signing an order last month making it easier to arrest homeless people. 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY, ' the president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. 'We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong.' Last week the president began wielding crime statistics to make his case, including data that Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) disputed on Sunday. 'If the priority is to show force in an American city, we know he can do that here,' Bowser, who initially offered no public comments as the president vowed to federalize the city, told MSNBC on Sunday. 'But it won't be because there's a spike in crime.' Describing himself as 'no 'MR. NICE GUY,'' Trump said on social media over the weekend that federal action will 'immediately clear out the city's homeless population and take swift action against crime.' The president's aggressive approach echoes his focus on border security and migrant criminals, themes during his campaign and in the first six months of his second term. In Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed active-duty troops to bolster federal arrests of migrants while rejecting the opposition of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). FBI agents also were used during that operation before Trump withdrew the troops in mid-July. His presidential action in California will be scrutinized during a federal trial that begins today as part of a challenge brought by the governor. Violent crime rates in Washington dropped 35 percent from 2023 to 2024, marking the lowest rates recorded in more than 30 years, according to a January report by the Justice Department. ▪ The Washington Post: Here's what D.C.'s crime statistics show. But Trump reacted last week to social media and news accounts of car jackings and melees involving teenage attackers while continuing to describe the nation's capital as unsafe, unsightly and poorly managed by Democratic politicians. He and advisers say D.C. police and prosecutors are too lenient. He called for juvenile suspects to be charged in the adult justice system. Trump has long been critical of conditions in Washington and in other major U.S. cities governed by Democrats, including New York, his hometown. 'We want our Capital BACK,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. The deployment of FBI agents to deal with local crime puts federal agents from the bureau's counterintelligence, public corruption and other divisions with minimal training in traffic stops out on the streets, The Washington Post reported. In the nation's capital, suspects as young as 15 can be charged as adults. 'Young people are coddled, and they don't need to be coddled anymore,' U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the city's new prosecutor appointed by Trump, said last week. ' They need to be held accountable.' Smart Take with Blake Burman will return on Wednesday. 3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY ▪ The share of moms with young children in the workforce fell this year, as return-to-office measures and government layoffs take an outsize toll on women. ▪ Trump hasn't applied to the National Capital Planning Commission for approval of his planned 90,000 square foot White House ballroom. It's a statutory requirement and a review can take years. ▪ U.S. companies are repurchasing their stock shares at a record pace. It's boosting their balance sheets and fueling a rally in financial markets. LEADING THE DAY ALASKA SUMMIT: As the war in Ukraine rages on, Trump will meet Friday in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will mark the first meeting between a U.S. president and the Russian leader since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As of Monday, major logistical components, including a venue, remained up in the air, as White House officials raced to lock down details. In his first few months back in office, Trump and his administration have pushed for an end to the war in Ukraine, with no luck. Trump said last week he is going to meet with Putin in Alaska to speak about an end to the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been invited to the summit, raising concern among Kyiv's allies across the globe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that he hopes Zelensky will be involved in the summit. Vice President Vance, interviewed Sunday on 'Fox News,' said the U.S. is working to set up a separate meeting that also includesZelensky. Vance said he did not think it would be a good idea for Putin and Zelensky to meet before Trump's meeting on Friday with the Russian president. Vance said he wants peace and to stop funding the Ukraine war. 'We're done with the funding of the Ukraine war business,' he said on Fox News. 'We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing.' LAND DISPUTE: Putin's reported proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which would require Kyiv to cede regions in the east, sparked a firm response from European leaders on Saturday. They welcomed Trump's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire as part of an effort to permanently end the nearly three-and-a-half-year war but argued that 'only' an approach that mixes support for Ukraine, 'active' diplomacy and additional pressure on Moscow can lead to peace on the front lines. Zelensky said Sunday that his country will not let Russia 'deceive' the U.S. 'Of course, our team is working with the United States — not a single day goes by without communication on how to ensure real peace,' Zelensky said in an address, according to a translation released by his office. 'We understand Russia's intention to try to deceive America — we will not allow this. I greatly value the determination with which President Trump is committed to bringing an end to the killings in this war.' ▪ The Hill: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance is 'making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight' ahead of the summit. ▪ The New York Times: Washington's push to negotiate an end to the war has raised concerns the Trump administration will make concessions to Moscow that Kyiv finds unacceptable. NO CONCESSIONS: Russian officials and commentators crowed about landing a summit between Putin and Trump, which apparently came without the Kremlin having made any clear concessions over its war in Ukraine. Russia's special economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev said the decision to hold the summit in Alaska was symbolically important for the U.S.-Russian partnership. The U.S. purchased the territory from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents per acre. 'Trump has chosen to host Putin in a part of the former Russian Empire,' Michael McFaul, an Obama-era U.S. ambassador to Russia, wrote on the social platform X. 'Wonder if he knows that Russian nationalists claim that losing Alaska, like Ukraine, was a raw deal for Moscow that needs to be corrected.' ▪ The Hill: Trump critic John Bolton, a former national security adviser during Trump's first term, criticized the upcoming U.S.-Russia meeting in Alaska, arguing Trump's actions have not changed foreign policy. Bolton asserted Trump is motivated by a desire to capture a Nobel Peace Prize. ▪ The Hill: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says that peace negotiations in Alaska could be 'a positive step forward' if 'an agreement can be negotiated which does not compromise what the Ukrainians feel that they need.' GAZA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended his plans to take over additional areas of Gaza, despite widespread international criticism. Netanyahu said Israeli forces would 'quickly' evacuate and then seize Gaza City, as well as a cluster of refugee camps in the enclave's middle region. But critics said the proposed new military offensive is likely to worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and further endanger the hostages still being held by Hamas. Thousands protested across Israel over the weekend, renewing calls for an immediate ceasefire. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres criticized Israel's plan, saying in a statement that the plan 'marks a dangerous escalation' and 'risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians.' Trump is giving a tacit green light for Netanyahu's military push, framing the move as an Israeli-owned decision amid a global outcry. A defiant Netanyahu on Sunday insisted there is no starvation in Gaza. Netanyahu only conceded there was 'deprivation' in the enclave, but he said 'no one in Gaza would have survived after two years of war' if Israel was implementing a 'starvation policy.' ▪ CNN analysis: Netanyahu's Gaza takeover plan satisfies no one but himself. ▪ Politico: The 'day after' plan for Gaza that Netanyahu doesn't want to talk about. © The Hill | Greg Nash COURTING ENDORSEMENTS: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is leaning heavily into the Texas redistricting battle as he seeks to fend off an uphill, conservative primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Last Tuesday, Cornyn publicly called for FBI Director Kash Patel to assist in tracking down Texas state Legislature Democrats who fled the state in protest of the GOP's proposed congressional maps, which could net them five seats in Congress. Two days later, the senator and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) separately confirmed that the FBI was assisting in the effort. The move to get out in front of the redistricting battle allows Cornyn to ingratiate himself with the state's deeply conservative base, writes The Hill's Julia Manchester, as they have distanced themselves from the incumbent senator in his uphill primary battle against Paxton. 'I think this is a good opportunity for Cornyn to show that he's a fighter and that's willing to take on an issue that's a red meat issue that resonates with the base,' said Brendan Steinhauser, Cornyn's former campaign manager and a Texas-based GOP strategist. 'When you see those opportunities, you have to take them.' Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Sunday the FBI does not have jurisdiction to return Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled their state. 'You're asking the FBI to get involved, to find these legislators who are in the process of trying to defend democracy in Texas,' Holder said on NBC News's 'Meet the Press.' 'And they're not hard to find, but the question after that is, 'Well, what's the federal jurisdiction? What federal statute has potentially been violated? What's the basis for any federal government interaction?' And I would say that there is none.' ▪ NBC News: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) slammed Trump as a 'cheater' and Abbott as a 'joke' days after welcoming Texas Democrats who fled their state. LONE STAR EXAMPLE: States across the country are looking to follow Texas's lead in redrawing their congressional district lines ahead of the 2026 midterms. Multiple Democratic and Republican governors are seeking to add as many seats as they can for their parties and increase the chances that their party can win control of the House next year. The Hill's Jared Gans breaks down which states are most likely to make the next redistricting moves. ▪ The Hill: These are the top House Democrats at risk from GOP redistricting. ▪ The New York Times: The independent body that redraws California's political maps isn't perfect, many Republicans say. But they prefer it to the gerrymander Newsom is proposing to offset the one in Texas. FLORIDA: When Miami-Dade County turned red in November, after nearly three decades of being solidly blue, Democratic political operatives in Florida had their worst fears realized: The Sunshine State was in fact red. The signs of a flip from purple had been there for several cycles and further cemented by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's 2022 win, when he won the metropolitan county for the GOP for the first time in 20 years. But Florida Democrats say they haven't given up on trying to move their state back into purple-state-territory. In fact, they say, they're doubling down on their efforts. 'We're still rebuilding, but we've had a lot of success,' Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, told The Hill's Amie Parnes, although she acknowledged there is 'a lot of work to be done and resources we've brought into the state to do that work.' ▪ The Hill: Republicans are waging a multipronged campaign against abortion shield laws in blue states, hoping to force the federal government to ultimately ban them. Legal experts say the effort will be difficult — as some states have already learned. INFLATION: The rising costs of goods and inflation are a growing political problem for Republicans as Trump's latest round of tariffs are scheduled to kick in. Democrats see high costs as their best issue heading into the midterm election. But Republicans have yet to come up with a clearly defined strategy to address the problem of high prices, which they highlighted repeatedly in the 2024 election ahead of their sweeping victories in the presidential, Senate and House races. 'That's why Trump's beating that Fed rate cut like a dead horse,' one Republican strategist told The Hill's Alexander Bolton, referring to the immense pressure the president has put on the Federal Reserve to cut rates. © The Associated Press | Sophie Park LOCKDOWNS AND LEARNING: Children attending preschool and kindergarten this fall may prove to be tiny teachers among researchers who plan to study whether babies born during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic differ from their predecessors as new classroom learners, possibly because of factors that include school and societal adaptations amid the nation's first brush with lockdowns and a new virus. Educators say they worry about cognitive and social delays, such as difficulties sharing and following directions, among 4- and 5-year-olds who entered the world beginning in 2020. ▪ CBS News: Meanwhile, the COVID-19 virus is on the rise again, especially in the West, according to state and government data. COMPUTER CHIPS: Companies Nvidia and AMD are expected to kick 15 percent of what they make in China sales of artificial-intelligence chips to the U.S. government in a highly unusual arrangement crafted by Trump. The agreement follows Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang 's meeting with Trump last week. FEDERAL DATA: The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics will soon get a new leader after Trump fired the last commissioner following the release this month of a weak jobs report. E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, is among those under consideration and has been a longtime critic of the agency's approach to collecting jobs data, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. ▪ The Hill: Some advocates for higher education fear potential repercussions of Trump's order to colleges and universities to turn over more college admissions data. ▪ The Hill: ■ A risky peace gamble in Alaska, by The Washington Post editorial board. ■ Dangerous nostalgia: Trump wants to turn back time, by A. Scott Bolden, opinion contributor, The Hill. © The Associated Press | Markus Schreiber And finally … What are Labubu dolls and why did they land in national headlines last week when thieves stole a store's inventory of the pricey collectibles? Answer: The haul near Los Angeles of toothy little monsters created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung was valued at $7,000. 'We are still in shock, ' One Stop Sales, the store that was robbed, said in a social media post while urging people to help locate the burglars. The current craze for the colorful adornments, which have been described as ' creepy but cute,' is being driven by social media, natch. Labubus, which are manufactured by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company based in Beijing, are hard to come by and are subject to U.S. tariffs. The popularity of the petite gremlins has spawned fakes. Stay Engaged
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Got 'range anxiety'? Trump halts massive EV charger project
Many would-be EV purchasers have cited what's known as 'range anxiety' in their reluctance to switch over from a gas car. DENVER ‒ A $7.5 billion Biden-era plan to build a massive network of electric vehicle chargers to address concerns about "range anxiety" has crashed to halt after installing fewer than 400 chargers nationwide. President Donald Trump's administration early this year blocked spending on the project, which aimed to put potentially thousands of chargers at gas stations, rest stops and other sites no more than 50 miles apart. A coalition of Democrat-led states and nonprofits has sued to get the funding restarted but there's been no final decision yet, and the installations remain on hold. "Halting the funding sets us all back, and it's simply wrong," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, said in a Aug. 6 statement announcing the state was joining the ongoing lawsuit. "Electric and hybrid vehicles are no longer the technology of the future. They're here now, and this technology is only becoming more important to our families and businesses." Funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the plan aimed to make it easier for people to drive EVs on long road trips and reflected the Biden administration's efforts to push people away from gasoline-powered vehicles. Industry experts say a major obstacle to widespread EV adoption is the lack of charging options while away from home. Federal statistics show there are about 3.5 million electric vehicles registered in the United States, out of a total 287 million overall vehicles. The number of EVs on the roads, from Tesla sedans and Cybertrucks to GMC Sierra pickups and electric Hummers has been growing rapidly in part due to a generous federal tax incentive that ends in September. But many would-be purchasers have cited what's known as "range anxiety" in their reluctance to switch over. But federal statistics also show that 92.5% of all trips Americans take ‒ aside from commercial delivery trucks ‒ are less than 25 miles, well within the range of every EV on the market today. Biden's plan focused on installing chargers on interstates and major highways, easing concerns about recharging during road trips. Trump, who has long been hostile toward government mandated-EV purchases, has kept the charger funding on hold for months despite the lawsuit, industry experts said. The pause has no effect on privately funded charging sites, like those built by Tesla. Trump also had a public falling out with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and in a July social media post said he opposes "ridiculous" efforts to make people drive EVs if they don't want to. The Biden-era emissions standards would have forced manufacturers to shift their offerings to EVs and away from gas powered vehicles. Program faced significant delays A federal General Accounting Office report issued earlier this year raised significant questions about the success of the effort, noting that only 384 charging stations funded by the infrastructure act had been built by April. The report noted that significant delays were caused by the complicated structure of approvals necessary to get charger installations going ‒ from state and federal highway officials to the permission of private property owners and even the time it takes to install new high-capacity overhead power lines to serve rural areas. The report also indicated the process would likely become more efficient over time as state-level administrators learned how to manage the installations better. "It was a federal program administered by 50 different state agencies and they all had different rules for procurement and for who was in charge of it," said Ryan McKinnon, a spokesman for the Charge Ahead Partnership, a coalition of grocers, convenience stores and fuel retailers that lobbies for EV infrastructure. "It became this poster child for a nightmare of government inefficiency." Funding was a 'drop in the bucket' The GAO noted that as of May, there were about 77,000 publicly available charging stations nationwide, but most of them are a slower, older style that takes longer to charge up EV batteries. In comparison, there are about 150,000 gas stations nationwide, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores. The Charge Ahead Partnership lobbies to have private businesses play a significant role in the development of a national charger network. McKinnon said the $7.5 billion in funding is only a "drop in the bucket" of what's actually necessary to build out a network that's convenient for customers. But he said the partnership remains hopeful the federal government will ultimately release the withheld funding alongside new rules to make the money easier to access. "At the end of the day, this is a pro-business startup grant that helps entrepreneurs who want to offer a new service get a foot in the door," he said.
