Columbus joins lawsuit after alleged DOGE freeze on tree program in “historically Black neighborhoods”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The City of Columbus has joined a federal lawsuit in anticipation of funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency for a grant that would pay for more than 1,000 trees planted in “historically Black neighborhoods.”

City Attorney Zach Klein announced in a news release that Columbus has spent $393,930 of a $500,000 urban forestry grant it expected the Recreation and Parks Department to reimburse by way of the Ohio Department of…