The city of Columbus has filed a suit in federal court challenging the Trump administration's freeze on federal funding for community based-programs.
That includes a federal grant through the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department to restore the tree canopy in central city neighborhoods.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein's office said in a statement Thursday that the program targeted by DOGE — Elon's Musk's Department of Government Efficiency — has planted more than 1,200 trees over the past year mostly in historically Black neighborhoods.
The city had received a $500,000 U.S. Urban Forestry grant to plant the trees and has already spent $393,930.
The city would be on the hook for that amount if the Trump administration doesn't cover the bill or delays it. The city said it would pay that amount with capital funds.
"Healthy neighborhoods start from the ground up. Studies show that there is a correlation between low-income areas and low tree canopies," Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement.
"We will continue to make expanding our tree canopy a cornerstone of our environmental policies, not only to reduce energy usage but to make healthier, equitable environments for residents in all our neighborhoods," Ginther said.
In a statement, Klein said data determined that certain neighborhoods lacked trees compared to other parts of the city.
"Yet DOGE algorithms seem to have haphazardly targeted this important initiative that will lead to better health outcomes, air quality and homes values for our residents simply because it was a historically Black neighborhood," Klein said.
Columbus joined other cities in the lawsuit including Baltimore; Nashville; San Diego; Madison, Wisconsin; and New Haven, Connecticut, along with non-profits including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Public Rights Project.
