Gavin Newsom, Governor of California | Official website
California officials announced that legal actions taken against the Trump Administration have protected more than $168 billion in federal funding for the state. Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said these efforts have prevented significant financial losses to California through a series of lawsuits and court orders.
“California’s early, proactive, and defensive actions have helped California maintain its values in the face of wholesale attacks against our families and communities, while also serving as a backstop against tyrannical actions by President Trump and those who aim to ignore the rule of law. As the federal government continues to attack our state, California will keep defending itself, its values, and its people,” said Governor Newsom.
The state has invested $5 million in litigation costs to support these legal challenges. According to state leaders, this represents a substantial return on investment. In late 2024, a special legislative session set aside $25 million for legal action by the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) and other agencies, with an additional $25 million dedicated to supporting legal aid for vulnerable Californians involved in civil cases.
Working with Attorney General Bonta, California filed 37 lawsuits—leading or co-leading 23—and submitted over 40 amicus briefs opposing Trump Administration policies within six months. Of the 19 cases where early relief was sought and ruled upon by district courts, California prevailed in 17 instances. Thirteen court orders blocking presidential actions remain active.
“In his first week in office, President Trump went after a full-third of California’s budget – and we went to court less than 24 hours later and stopped him in his tracks. When the Administration’s first effort to freeze all federal funding to California failed, it changed course, flooding the zone with near-constant attempts to cut off funding like a dangerous and unruly game of whack-a-mole. But this is not a game. We’re talking about people’s livelihoods, their health, their education, and in some cases even their lives. That’s why every time the President breaks the law, my office stands ready to take him to court,” said Attorney General Bonta. “For every dollar we’ve been given by the Governor and the Legislature in Special Session funding, we’ve returned more than $33,600. I’m proud of my incredible team who have been working around the clock to protect California’s people, values, and resources in the face of relentless attacks. We know that this work is just the beginning, but we are not backing down. Too much is at stake, whether it be school programs for our kids, research for our future, medical care for our sick, or infrastructure that keeps our cars driving and planes in the air. California will continue to fight at every turn to hold the President and his Administration accountable to the Constitution they swore to uphold.”
One notable lawsuit challenged an executive order seeking a broad freeze on nearly $3 trillion in federal funds nationwide; as part of a multistate coalition led by California's DOJ (https://www.ca.gov/), courts issued restraining orders preserving approximately $168 billion intended for essential services including education (https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/profile.asp?id=6248), healthcare (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/PublicHealthPrograms/Pages/default.aspx), transportation (https://dot.ca.gov/programs/local-assistance/fed-and-state-programs/federal-programs), public health (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/pages/immunization/nip-home.aspx), electric vehicle infrastructure (https://ww2.energy.ca.gov/transportation/electric-vehicle-infrastructure.html), among others.
In emergency litigation concerning National Guard deployment (“Newsom v. Trump”), almost all soldiers ordered into Los Angeles were demobilized following unauthorized federalization moves contested by state attorneys.
Legal victories included securing annual transportation grants worth about $7 billion from potential cuts linked with immigration enforcement conditions imposed by federal agencies; restoring almost $1 billion previously withheld from schools; protecting roughly $972 million annually earmarked for urgent public health needs; regaining over $300 million meant for electric vehicle charging stations; defending AmeriCorps programs; stopping mass layoffs at U.S Health & Human Services; safeguarding birthright citizenship rights affecting thousands born each year; as well as preventing improper use or sharing of Californians’ private data by federal entities.
These measures reflect ongoing efforts by state officials aimed at ensuring continued access to key resources while countering attempts viewed as unlawful interventions from Washington.
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