California Attorney General Rob Bonta Challenges Trump Administration's Illegal Actions

Strategic Insights -

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has led the defense against the Trump Administration's wholesale dismantling of the federal government, withholding services and funding, and stripping Californians of their constitutional rights. Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) has acted as a first and last line of defense, filing 37 lawsuits and securing concessions and reversals outside of court. Attorney General Bonta has ensured that roughly $168 billion continued to flow to the state through a single early lawsuit challenging the President's illegal and sweeping freeze of federal funding.

Key Takeaways:

  • Attorney General Bonta has filed 37 lawsuits, leading or co-leading 23 of them, and has separately filed more than 40 amicus briefs in support of other litigation against the Trump Administration.
  • He has secured concessions and reversals outside of court, including the Department of Education's recent decision to restore funding it had illegally frozen just days after California filed a lawsuit.
  • Attorney General Bonta has protected an estimated $11.1 billion in federal grant funding from successive targeted efforts by the Trump Administration to terminate, impound, or condition specific funding for education, healthcare, transportation, and more.
  • He has defended constitutional rights like birthright citizenship and the right to vote, and stopped the dismantling of federal agencies like U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) and AmeriCorps.
  • The California Department of Justice (DOJ) has acted as a first and last line of defense against the Trump Administration's illegal actions, filing lawsuits and securing concessions and reversals outside of court.
  • Attorney General Bonta has ensured that roughly $168 billion continued to flow to the state through a single early lawsuit challenging the President's illegal and sweeping freeze of federal funding.
  • He has filed multiple lawsuits to protect Californians' private data from misuse by the federal government, including challenging the Trump Administration for illegally sharing Medicaid data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  • Attorney General Bonta has issued guidance to law enforcement, prosecutors, public institutions, school officials, and more to assist them in complying with state laws like SB 54.
  • He has issued consumer alerts helping immigrants understand their rights and the public to avoid notario fraud and other scams, watch out for fake ICE officers, and understand tenant protections.

Statistics:

  • $168 billion: the amount of federal funding that continued to flow to California after a single early lawsuit challenging the President's illegal and sweeping freeze of federal funding.
  • 37: the number of lawsuits filed by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) against the Trump Administration.
  • 23: the number of lawsuits filed by Attorney General Bonta that he led or co-led.
  • 40: the number of amicus briefs filed by Attorney General Bonta in support of other litigation against the Trump Administration.
  • $11.1 billion: the estimated amount of federal grant funding protected from successive targeted efforts by the Trump Administration to terminate, impound, or condition specific funding for education, healthcare, transportation, and more.
  • 24,500: the estimated number of children born in California each year who would be denied birthright citizenship under the Trump Administration's unconstitutional executive order.
  • 13: the number of orders blocking President Trump's illegal actions that are currently in effect.
  • $7 billion: the amount of grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that California receives each year.
  • $939 million: the amount of education funding for California schools that was protected when the U.S. Department of Education reversed its decision to withhold vital education funding.
  • $972 million: the amount of public health funding for California that was protected through litigation challenging and subsequent court orders blocking the abrupt termination of federal funding.
  • $300 million: the amount of electric vehicle infrastructure funding that was restored through a court order after the Trump Administration sought to withhold it.

Sources:

  • The Office of the California Attorney General
  • Governor Gavin Newsom
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • AmeriCorps
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services
  • Minority Business Development Agency
  • Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service