Federal Accountability

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today secured a preliminary injunction blocking the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from spending any of the funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program on non-related purposes while multistate litigation continues. Since 2020, FEMA has made billions of dollars available under the BRIC program to prepare for and mitigate the risks from disasters before they happen. California is the largest beneficiary of this program and could receive over a billion dollars for future projects that FEMA had selected for grant funding before the program was unlawfully terminated. 

“The President keeps breaking the law, and we keep holding him accountable in court,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Shuttering this program would do nothing to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse or improve government efficiency. This is a program with bipartisan support that is focused on protecting lives and livelihoods from flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. I’m pleased the District Court has ensured this funding will not be redirected and misspent while our litigation continues.”

A copy of the court order is available here. 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a multistate coalition, filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to restrict access to healthcare for transgender, intersex, and nonbinary youth. The lawsuit targets recent federal actions — including President Trump’s Executive Order 14187 and its implementing memoranda from the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) — targeting the provision of medically necessary gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19, even in states like California where such care is legal and protected. In today’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s actions have no legal basis and should be declared unlawful and vacated in their entirety to protect access to care for patients who need it.

“The President and his Administration’s relentless attacks on gender-affirming care endanger already vulnerable adolescents whose health and well-being are at risk; their demands that our healthcare providers discriminate against transgender individuals and deny them access to medically-necessary healthcare is cruel and irresponsible,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Trump Administration’s unlawful threats have not only undermined State rights but have directly contributed to diminishing access to gender-affirming care. These actions have created a chilling effect in which providers are pressured to scale back on their care for fear of prosecution, leaving countless individuals without the critical care they need and are entitled to under law. Today’s lawsuit aims to address the root cause of this problem and hold the Trump Administration accountable, ensuring that we continue to safeguard and uphold the healthcare rights and freedoms of our transgender community.”

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order declaring that the United States would only recognize two sexes and calling for an end to federal support for what the Administration called “gender ideology.” Executive Order 14187, signed shortly after, focused on restricting healthcare for youth. It defined everyone under 19 as a child, even though states like California consider 18-year-olds legal adults, and described recognized medical treatments as “chemical and surgical mutilation.” The order directed the U.S. DOJ to pursue enforcement actions related to this care, steps which were outlined in a memorandum issued by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 22, 2025 (Bondi Directive). Following the issuance of this directive, on June 11, 2025, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate issued a memorandum (Shumate Directive) to all U.S. DOJ civil division employees directing them to use all available resource to “prioritize investigations of doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and other appropriate entities” in pursuit of alleged violations “of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other laws” for providing gender-affirming healthcare.

On July 9, 2025, the U.S. DOJ issued a press release announcing that it had issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics that provide gender-affirming care to adolescents. In the release, Attorney General Bondi stated that “[m]edical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” making it clear that the subpoenas and investigations subject providers to the threat of prosecution for providing gender-affirming care to adolescents pursuant to three federal statutes that have nothing to do with the provisions of this medical care. The attorneys general argue that these efforts have no legal basis and are intended to discourage providers from offering lifesaving healthcare that is lawful under state law.

In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s implementation of Executive Order 14187, Section 8 is unlawful and undermines State rights by stripping States of their power to regulate healthcare provided to their own residents. Executive Order 14187 further targets gender-affirming care for transgender individuals under the age of 19 — a category that includes persons who have reached the age of majority — by intimidating providers through threats of civil and criminal prosecution laws unconnected to the lawful provision of this care. California recognizes gender-affirming care as medically necessary healthcare that respects the gender identity of the patient, as experienced and defined by the patient. In California, gender-affirming care is a right protected by state law. Additionally, California law also prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, gender dysphoria diagnosis, or intersex status in the provision of healthcare services, including gender-affirming care. The Trump Administration’s attempt to unlawfully end the use of medically necessary gender-affirming care undermines States’ anti-discrimination laws and places providers at risk of violating state laws.

The coalition also highlights how the Trump Administration’s relentless attacks on gender-affirming care have caused confusion and fear among providers, transgender individuals under the age of 19, and their families. As a result of these attacks, providers have been pressured to cease providing gender-affirming care in light of the threats to their licenses, livelihoods, and liberty. Acceding to Trump Administration’s demands forces hospitals, providers, and others to potentially violate States’ anti-discrimination and age-of-majority state laws, while also causing direct harm to transgender adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria. Medical experts, including major national medical associations, agree that gender-affirming care is medically necessary for some individuals suffering from gender dysphoria. Denying this care has been shown to worsen mental health outcomes, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

The attorneys general warn that the Trump Administration’s tactics are already having an impact. In some states, including California, providers have begun to reduce or eliminate services, and patients are reporting canceled appointments and confusion about whether they can continue their care. The lawsuit seeks to prevent further harm and to ensure that transgender youth and their families can access care without being targeted by the federal government.

In the lawsuit, the coalition argues that the Trump Administration’s actions violate the Constitution, exceed federal authority, and undermine state laws that require equal access to medical treatment. The lawsuit asks the court to block the administration’s actions and stop the enforcement of these executive orders.

Attorney General Bonta and the attorneys general of New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Connecticut led the lawsuit and were joined by the attorneys general of Delaware, Hawai’i, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Governor of Pennsylvania.

A copy of the complaint can be found here. 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today responded to official confirmation that the U.S. Department of Education has released previously withheld education funding to California. Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt and unlawful decision to freeze this funding earlier this month. 

“The Trump Administration has officially reversed course on its blatantly illegal, misguided effort to freeze critical education funds weeks before the school year was set to start,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Let’s be clear: This funding should never have been frozen in the first place – that’s why we filed our lawsuit. We’re glad to see the Administration back down from its illegal effort to withhold these funds, but we can’t lose sight of the long-term damage caused by the President’s campaign of chaos and uncertainty. California will not stop fighting to hold the President and his Administration accountable to the law and to protect our children’s educational future.” 

BACKGROUND

On June 30, the Trump Administration abruptly and unlawfully froze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education just weeks before the school year in many parts of California is set to start. For decades, California and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for migrant children and English learners; programs that promote effective classroom instruction, improve school conditions and the use of technology in the classroom; community learning centers that offer students a broad range of opportunities for academic and extracurricular enrichment; and adult education and workforce development efforts. 

On July 14, Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states together in filing a lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction, arguing that the freeze violates federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process, and the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause.  

On July 25, the California Department of Education (CDE) received notice from ED that beginning the week of July 28, 2025, ED would begin releasing previously impounded federal funds for the current federal and education fiscal year. Yesterday, CDE received Grant Award Notifications confirming that the entirety of the funds that ED was required to make available to the states on July 1 is being released. 

Attorney General Bonta is committed to defending California’s educational institutions and students against the Trump Administration’s illegal attacks. Attorney General Bonta has filed lawsuits challenging the unlawful termination of grant funding for K-12 teacher preparation programs; the mass firings and dismantling of the Education Department; unlawful conditioning of K-12 education funding; and the discontinuation of school mental health grant funding. He’s also secured other relief for California schools including the funding released this week and $200 million in previously awarded education funding to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools.

Continues fighting on all fronts for businesses and consumers 

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed an amicus brief in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging the tariffs President Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In April, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful use of power to levy tariffs via over a dozen executive orders under IEEPA. In the brief filed today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom argue that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia was correct in holding that the Trump Administration’s interpretation of its authority under IEEPA is incorrect, that IEEPA’s language does not provide the authority to impose tariffs, and that President Trump’s IEEPA tariffs are unlawful (and that, much like California’s own case, the plaintiffs’ case was properly filed in district court, not the Court of International Trade). The brief urges the Court of Appeals to affirm the District Court’s decision.

“As the country braces for continuous chaos from President Trump’s illegal tariffs, standing united to fight for American consumers and businesses is more important than ever,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today, I urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to affirm the District Court’s decision that President Trump’s chaotic tariffs are unlawful — not one word in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Trump Administration’s vehicle for these tariffs, authorizes tariffs. These illegal tariffs will affect everything from the cost of essential household items like food and toilet paper to the cost of housing. The tariff chaos is a man-made crisis, and California families and industries will pay the price.”

The case in question involves two family-owned educational-toy companies challenging the Trump Administration’s tariffs under IEEPA. In May, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the Trump Administration’s motion to transfer the case to the Court of International Trade and instead retained jurisdiction, held that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs and that the Trump Administration’s IEEPA tariffs were unlawful, and granted the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta agrees and argues that the Court of Appeals should affirm the District Court’s well-reasoned decision. 

Attorney General Bonta is committed to challenging the illegal tariffs that threaten California jobs, businesses, and consumers and has held roundtables in San Francisco and Los Angeles to learn about the impact of tariffs on California industry.

On April 16, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful use of IEEPA to impose tariffs without the consent of Congress. In May, California filed a motion for a preliminary injunction with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to stop the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs while litigation in its case proceeds and filed an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade in Oregon v. Trump, another case also challenging President Trump’s illegal imposition of tariffs. In June, a judge granted California's request for dismissal to allow the state to appeal its case challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs after the Administration asked that the case be transferred to the Court of International Trade — a motion that California opposed. The dismissal kept the case in California and allowed California to appeal to the Ninth Circuit. California’s case remains ongoing.

A copy of the amicus brief can be found here.

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta last week co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in submitting an amicus brief in Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. Office of Management and Budget, a case that challenges the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) deactivation of the Public Apportionments Database. The Public Apportionments Database is an online resource maintained by OMB that details legally binding plans for how federal agencies spend funds appropriated by Congress. In the brief, submitted in U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the coalition argues that the Trump Administration’s refusal to make apportionment decisions public impairs States’ ability to quickly identify any unlawful funding decisions the Administration makes.  

“The Trump Administration is attempting to dodge their obligation to publicly disclose how it directs agencies to spend taxpayer money, limiting state’s view into how the Administration is handling critical funding,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This information is important for citizens and states to ensure transparent governance — and especially essential given the billions of dollars the Trump Administration has already illegally cancelled or withheld. I urge the court to stay the course and insist the Trump Administration transparently report how its spending appropriated funds.”

In 2022, Congress directed OMB to make its apportionment decisions public in a timely manner so that entities and organizations could identify — and, where necessary, put a stop to — the federal government’s failures to comply with appropriations laws.  Earlier this year, OMB announced that it would no longer comply with this statute and since January, the Trump Administration has repeatedly and unlawfully withheld billions of dollars in appropriated funds, often in secret. In some cases, the Administration has failed to announce that it is withholding appropriated funds at all; in others, it has delayed the announcement until the withholding caused a crisis; often, the Trump Administration refused to reveal, even when its efforts to withhold funds are discovered, whether it is OMB or the administering agency that is responsible for the violation.  

Among other examples, the Trump Administration has delayed over $6 billion in education funds; terminated nearly $400 million in funding for state AmeriCorps programs; and disrupted millions of dollars in critical funding supporting state-run libraries. 

In the brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that states have a strong interest in in ensuring this information remains public and accessible. The absence of timely apportionment data creates an ongoing problem in which states cannot monitor in real time OMB's failure to release appropriated funds, leading to crisis situations, chaos, and harm to states and their agencies. The unavailability of timely apportionment data has already caused real-world problems, meaningfully impairing states’ ability to protect their interests and hindering the ongoing litigation described above.

In submitting the brief, Attorney General Bonta co-leads the attorneys general of the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. 

A copy of the brief is available here. 

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today sued the Trump Administration over the sweeping budget reconciliation law (“Big Beautiful Bill”), specifically the “Defund Provision,” signed by President Donald Trump this month. This provision, which targets Planned Parenthood, is a direct attack on the healthcare access of millions of low-income Americans, disproportionally affecting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color. This provision specifically blocks Medicaid reimbursements for essential healthcare services, such as cancer screenings, birth control, and STI testing, at Planned Parenthood health centers. Attorney General Bonta, co-leading a coalition of 22 attorneys general and one governor, asks the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing this devastating and unlawful provision, which will lead to widespread disruptions in preventative care and increase healthcare costs, if allowed to stand. They also assert that the states should not be co-opted into executing this unconstitutional provision. 

“Let me be clear: Federal funds don't pay for abortions. This provision is purely retaliation against Planned Parenthood for its constitutionally protected advocacy for abortion care. The President and Congress are implementing a cruel, backdoor abortion ban through this provision, putting their political agendas over people’s lives,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “This will wreak havoc on healthcare services from cancer screenings to STI testing for millions of Americans who have nowhere else to turn. California will continue to lead as a reproductive freedom state — and we will be there every single time the federal administration tries to strip away your healthcare rights and ignore the rule of law.”

“PPAC is grateful for the support of California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state attorneys general to ensure that patients who rely on Medicaid can continue to access the full range of sexual and reproductive health care services at Planned Parenthood health centers. The Defund Provision is a direct attack by the Trump administration and the GOP-led Congress on not only Planned Parenthood, but also on Reproductive Freedom States like California, where we value and prioritize access to reproductive health care,” said Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California CEO and President Jodi Hicks. “Planned Parenthood health centers are a critical part of reproductive health care access in California, which is why the impacts of this federal defund will reverberate throughout the state – cutting off access to live-saving health care services for our most vulnerable communities. Despite the challenges we face, PPAC will continue to fight back against this unjust defund, and work with our state leaders to ensure that every Californian can access the care they need, when they need it, no matter what.”

The “Big Beautiful Bill,” is a sweeping Republican-led law signed by the President last month. Among its many provisions, one of the most detrimental sections is a clause that blocks federal Medicaid funding for essential medical services such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and wellness exams provided at Planned Parenthood health centers. Defunding Planned Parenthood threatens at least 200 health centers nationwide, affecting healthcare for more than 1.1 million people, many of whom are unlikely to be able to receive care elsewhere. Despite claims by Republican lawmakers that other healthcare centers can absorb these patients, recent findings from the Guttmacher Institute indicate that alternative locations do not have the capacity to serve the number of Americans who currently rely on Planned Parenthood for their healthcare.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the prohibited Medicaid reimbursements. But last week, following the expiration of a temporary restraining order enjoining the Defund Provision, most Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide became cut off from Medicaid funding. In California, Planned Parenthood, which is the largest abortion provider in the state, lost all $300 million of its federal funding. This decision jeopardized the stability of the Planned Parenthood network in California, threatening its ability to continue operating 109 clinics, serving about 700,000 patients each year. Already, five Planned Parenthood clinics were forced to close their doors last week. Nearly 80% of those patients use Medi-Cal, the state version of the federal Medicaid program for people with low incomes or disabilities. While yesterday the court granted Planned Parenthood’s injunction in full, concluding that the Defund Provision violates the First Amendment and Equal Protection clause, as well as the prohibition on Bills of Attainder in the U.S. Constitution, the attorneys general remain committed to ensuring full relief.

In today’s filing, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that the Defund Provision, which prohibits Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood, is impermissibly ambiguous and violates Congress’ Spending Clause power. They highlight that the provision is likely to increase health risks, including delayed diagnoses of STIs and cancer and increased unintended pregnancies, which will result not only in widespread and devastating effects on the health of our most vulnerable residents, but also increased costs of $30 million over the next five years and $52 million over the next ten years in Medicaid programs. The coalition urges the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing the provision in order to prevent the tremendous harm this will have on public health and welfare of their states, as well as the increased costs to the states. 

In filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta along with the attorneys general of Connecticut and New York, lead the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the state of Pennslyvania. 

A copy of the lawsuit is available here. 

Move marks latest attempt by Trump Administration to collect unrelated, protected data to fuel mass deportation machine

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a coalition of 21 attorneys general with New York Attorney General Letitia James, announced a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. SNAP is a federally-funded, state-administered program that provides billions of dollars in food assistance to tens of millions of low-income families across the country. SNAP applicants provide their private information on the understanding, backed by long-standing state and federal laws, that their information will not be used for unrelated purposes. USDA has suggested that it could withhold administrative funding for the program if states fail to comply — effectively forcing states to choose between protecting their residents’ privacy and providing critical nutrition assistance to those in need. California receives roughly $1 billion a year in order to administer the program, and any delay in that funding could be catastrophic for the state and its residents who rely on SNAP to put food on the table. In a lawsuit being filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that this demand violates multiple federal privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution.  

“President Trump continues to weaponize private and sensitive personal information — not to root out fraud, but to create a culture of fear where people are unwilling to apply for essential services. We’re talking about kids not getting school lunch; fire victims not accessing emergency services; and other devastating, and deadly, consequences. That is Trump’s vision for America,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This unprecedented demand that states turn over SNAP data violates all kinds of state and federal privacy laws and further breaks the trust between the federal government and the people it serves. The President doesn’t get to change the rules in the middle of the game, no matter how much he may want to. While he may be comfortable breaking promises to the American people, California is not. We will not comply with this illegal demand. We’ll see the President in court.”

For 60 years, California and other states have administered SNAP, which serves as an essential safety net for millions of low-income Americans by providing credits that can be used to purchase groceries for themselves and their family members. In those 60 years, the federal government and state agencies have worked together to build a robust process for ensuring that only eligible individuals receive benefits. In fact, the USDA itself has described SNAP as having “one of the most rigorous quality control systems in the federal government.” Those systems do not, and have never, required that states turn over sensitive, personally identifying information about millions of Americans without any meaningful restrictions on how that information is used or shared with other agencies. 

Yet in May 2025, USDA made an unprecedented demand that states turn over massive amounts of personal information on all SNAP applicants and recipients, including social security numbers and home addresses, dating back five years. Even a year’s worth of SNAP recipient data contains sensitive, personal identifying information on tens of millions of individuals — including more than five million in California alone. The federal government’s stated justifications for its unprecedented data demands, to “prevent fraud and abuse,” are directly contradicted by their own findings.  

Alarmingly, USDA’s demand appears to be part of a coordinated effort by the federal government to collect personal information on Americans from every possible source, to be used to advance this President’s agenda. Public reports indicate that federal officials are amassing huge databases of personal information on Americans and using that data for undisclosed purposes, including immigration enforcement. Already, the Department of Homeland Security has obtained troves of personal information from both the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency, including private medical information and other personal details on Medicaid recipients, which California has already challenged in court. USDA’s attempts to collect data from states about SNAP applicants and recipients appear to be the next step in this campaign.   

USDA’s actions are unprecedented, threaten the privacy of millions of families, and ignore long-standing restrictions on the use and redisclosure of SNAP data. Both federal and state law prohibit California from disclosing personally identifying SNAP data unless strictly necessary for the administration of the program, or if other limited circumstances exist. Those circumstances do not exist here. In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that these demands violate multiple federal privacy laws; fail to meet the public comment requirements for this type of action; exceed USDA’s statutory authority; and violate the Spending Clause. The coalition asks that the District Court declare the Trump Administration’s demands unlawful and block the Trump Administration from conditioning receipt of SNAP funding on states’ compliance with these demands. 

Attorneys General Bonta and James lead the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the state of Kentucky, in filing the lawsuit. 

A copy of the lawsuit is available here. 

Ruling follows SCOTUS decision sending consideration of nationwide injunction back to lower courts 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s decision confirming the nationwide scope of its preliminary injunction in the multistate lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order seeking to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. The court concluded that “no workable, narrower alternative to the injunction issued originally would provide complete relief to the plaintiffs in this case.”

“Today’s decision leaves in place a nationwide injunction in our lawsuit challenging the President’s executive order attempting to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship while litigation continues,” said Attorney General Bonta. “It also reaffirms what we’ve argued from the start: Our states are harmed if those born in the United States are deprived of the right to citizenship. And it is unrealistic and infeasible to recognize the citizenship of those born in some states, but not others. We are pleased that the district court agreed. We will continue to fight to make sure this unconstitutional, anti-American executive order is blocked for good.”

A copy of the court’s decision is available here.

Update as of August 7, 2025: The stay of enforcement has since been extended until September 10, 2025.

Agreement prevents Trump Administration from making any changes to eligibility requirements based on immigration status for these programs before September 3, 2025 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general today announced securing an agreement temporarily preventing the Trump Administration from implementing various agency notices significantly expanding federal public benefit ineligibility based on immigration status before September 3, 2025. Earlier this week, the coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt reversal of nearly three decades of federal practice that allowed access, regardless of immigration status, to certain public benefits programs that have historically been determined to protect life or safety and contribute to the overall welfare of communities. These programs include Head Start, childcare services for low-income people, adult education, mental health and substance use disorder programs, and shelters for at-risk youth and domestic violence survivors, among others. The coalition continues to seek a court order enjoining the Trump Administration from implementing the order for the duration of the litigation. 

“The Trump Administration threw Head Start and other social safety net programs into chaos when it abruptly reversed nearly three decades of federal law and policy that opened these programs up to all,” said Attorney General Bonta. “With today’s agreement, these critical programs — and the families who rely on them — can breathe a little easier. California will not back down in the fight to protect access to these programs that help ensure that our communities thrive.”

A copy of the stipulation is available here. 

OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states, expanded its ongoing legal challenge of the Trump Administration’s attempt to gut AmeriCorps by adding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a defendant for withholding tens of millions of dollars in funding for critical service programs. In June, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition secured a court order that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully cancelled and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite this order, OMB is withholding vast sums intended for outstanding service programs, threatening their survival and the wellbeing of those who depend on their services. Because of the Trump Administration’s withholding of these critical resources, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition today filed an amended lawsuit that adds OMB as a defendant and brings new legal claims against the agency. 

“AmeriCorps represents the best of who we are, what we can be, as a nation,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Last month, I secured a court order stopping the illegal dismantling of AmeriCorps – ensuring these selfless servicemembers can continue to serve our communities while litigation continues. But now, President Trump is trying a different, yet similarly, illegal tactic to withhold funding. We’re going back to court to block this latest maneuver – and we’ll keep fighting to ensure this invaluable program continues.”   

AmeriCorps, an independent federal agency that engages Americans in meaningful community-based service, provides opportunities for more than 200,000 Americans to serve their communities every year. AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide. 

In 2024, more than 6,150 California members served at least 1,200 locations, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans’ facilities, and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations. AmeriCorps invested more than $133 million in federal funding to California that same year to support cost-effective community solutions, working with local partners on the ground to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. This includes programs like:

• Prevent Child Abuse California, which hosts 65 AmeriCorps members who provide academic assistance, life skills, and financial literacy to hundreds of foster youths across 15 counties. 
• Partnership for Veterans and People Experiencing Homeless, which hosts 25 AmeriCorps members that provide housing services, job placement, and case management to veterans and homeless individuals in Santa Barbara County.
• Reading Partners California, which hosts 80 AmeriCorps members who recruit and manage approximately 1400 volunteers to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring to students at 58 low-income elementary schools.

In the amended complaint, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition allege that OMB has unlawfully withheld from plaintiff states well over $38 million in support intended for specific AmeriCorps programs, across multiple funding streams. For example, OMB appears to have withheld tens of millions of dollars intended for AmeriCorps Senior Companion Programs and Foster Grandparent Programs in plaintiff states, programs that pair low-income seniors with children in need of mentorship and support or with other seniors in need of companionship and care. The Administration has also withheld approximately $5 million intended for plaintiff state service commissions, which was needed to provide training and technical assistance to service members across the country. And while AmeriCorps decided to fund numerous programs in plaintiff states with over $33 million in highly competitive grants for the next service year, OMB is preparing to withhold these funds from distribution as well.    

The coalition establishes that the Trump Administration has acted unlawfully in its withholding of AmeriCorps funds, violating both the Administrative Procedure Act and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution. Congress created AmeriCorps and appropriated funding to support public service, and neither OMB nor AmeriCorps hold authority to defy Congress by refusing to distribute funds to worthy service programs.   

In filing the amended complaint, Attorney General Bonta and the attorneys general of Maryland, Delaware, and Colorado lead the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, as well as the states of Kentucky and Pennsylvania. 

A copy of the amended complaint is available here.