Atty, California. General Rob Bonta joined the coalition of more than 20 states on Friday, asking the federal court to force hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds with federal funds that have been allocated again by Congress.
In two separate legal motions, Bonta and the other 22 state attorney generals allegedly ignored a temporary restraining order issued before the administration required the government to freeze funds. They sought the order to be enforced, and the court asked for further blocking the freeze and issuing additional interim injunctions to secure the release of funds while the lawsuit is underway.
“The administration has created widespread disruption and irreparable harm to our state and the American people,” Bonta said at an afternoon press conference. “By failing to comply with court orders, the president is spitting out in the face of our democracy by trying to take away the constitutional responsibility for holding the strings of Congress’s wallet.”
The Trump administration has denied fraud and said it is acting within its authority.
The latest legal sparring has been raging since Trump’s Budget Office issued a memo on January 27th, and a series of federal programs have been erupted as the new administration has decided funds that match Trump’s political agenda. We are continuing discussions aimed at halting funding for the
The memo comes from state leaders who have begun flagging immediate anger from Congressional Democrats who manage federal budgets by law and disruptions in funding sources that support key services around the country, including the Medicaid spending system. I met him.
The White House retracted the memo a few days later, and the administration maintains in court that the funding restrictions are not as wide as the state claimed, and that the administration is acting well within its powers.
In one response in court, the administration has the power to direct the agency to fully implement the presidential agenda that Trump, his management and the Budget Office, which is consistent with the underlying statutory authorities of each agency. “I wrote.
The administration argued that was what Trump did with his executive order and what OMB did with his slow memo since.
Trump administration officials have also repeatedly met state complaints about certain disruptions over fundraising by denial, but at the same time, billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to cut federal spending through the so-called government efficiency. praised the
State officials said the White House is not just telling the truth, but it is illegally withholding funds, regardless of what it is saying publicly.
“A week ago, the court ordered the Trump administration not to remove $3 trillion in federal funds. The administration is not following that court order,” Bonta said.
Bonta said the $3 trillion funds initially covered by the Trump administration memo include more than a third of California’s budget. .
He said funds remain frozen for a variety of programs, including medical care, child care and foster care. Education; Nutrition support programs for children and seniors. Funds for road and bridge repairs. Funds that support the state’s workforce, reduce pollution, and provide rebates and subsidies for cleaner, safer and affordable homes. and a program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution along major California corridors, including one between Los Angeles and the Imperial Valley.
It also includes funds allocated by Congress under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Inflation Investment and Employment Act, he said.
“These are just examples of programs for people who have been left high and dry due to illegal and unconstitutional attempts by the administration to freeze funds,” he said.
He calls such a continuing freeze of funds “illegal and unAmerican,” reflecting his ignorance of the president’s rule of law.
“In our country, when courts order you to do something, you have to follow, regardless of who you are, including the president,” Bonta said. “I don’t like the aspect of the order and don’t give me the right to insert my ears, turn my back on the judge, or pretend it’s not happening.”
Bonta said asking the court to enforce existing orders is “the best route to gain compliance and earning money to flow,” and he believes the state will succeed.
He said he had not “predicted” as to why the freeze had not been completely lifted according to existing orders, but he said the funds were “not flowing” and the state had to fight back.
Reports of frozen federal funds have skyrocketed in recent years, including in California. For example, St. John’s Community Health, a network of Southern California community clinics that provide care for low or cost, ended federal grants for transgender health programs this week, resulting in losses of more than $740,000. He said that.
The grant is expected to total over $1.6 million over four years, providing education, case management, and “wrap-around services” for prevention, testing, treatment of diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis C. It is targeted. Under one third of the network’s funding for the transgender health program, according to St. John’s.
In a notice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, as recipients of the grant, said that the Health Center had to immediately terminate the grant-backed “promote or inculcate gender ideology” program. I did. Jim Manzia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health, condemned the move as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
St. John’s later reported that it could not cut additional $1 million in federal funds through the Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, which aims to support mental health services for transgender and non-binary people. did. The Healthcare Network said $1 million is the amount remaining from the $4 million grant allocation.
Congressional Republicans generally support Trump’s efforts, suggesting they are in line with the priorities of the American people. They also confirmed this week Las Vote, architect of Project 2025 and Trump’s budget approach, as White House’s Budget Director.
“Russ is the radical left and conservative force in the establishment of Washington. With his help, we will restore our financial sanity to the budget and dismantle the regulatory state,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said.
Senate majority leader John Toon said Trump and Congressional Republicans are in agreement, including the budget.
On Friday, he wrote in a post on X on the federal budget, “Americans wrote a power of attorney that said they gave President Trump a mandate to realize his key priorities. There’s now time to act. , Senate Republicans are ready to roll.”
Congressional Democrats condemned the administration’s fundraising move as illegal grabs continued to do so on Friday.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), vice-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Friday that the hundreds of millions of dollars allocated by Congress are still withheld by the administration.
“The radical freeze of the president is causing real pain for people in every part of the country — in the red and blue states, and everywhere in between — and it has to end now,” she said. I said that.
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