President Donald Trump's administration on Monday evening filed an appeal to a federal judge's ruling to unfreeze billions of dollars in federal grants.

The appeal comes after a federal judge in Rhode Island on Monday ruled that the White House defied his recent court order to unfreeze the aid.

Two judges last month blocked President Trump's administration from freezing federal funds that were expected to be paused by the White House Office of Management and Budget. 

Judge John J. McConnell Jr. said in his new ruling that the administration failed to comply with “the plain text” of his order, after the Justice Department argued that money for clean energy projects and transportation infrastructure were exempt from the initial order, because they were paused under a different memo.

McConnell said the initial order was "clear and unambiguous, and there are no impediments to the Defendants’ compliance with” it, and agreed to grant a "motion for enforcement." The order did not include any penalties for the White House's failure, or find it in contempt. 

The ruling comes after 22 Democratic attorneys general accused the White House of failing to comply with the order on Friday.

The Trump administration's filing on Monday evening argues that states have provided evidence that show the federal government previously failed to distribute appropriated federal funds, Fox News reported.

The White House has also claimed that all of the president's and his administration's orders would eventually win in court.

“Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful,” Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman told the New York Times. “Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.