California leads a collation of 23 states in a massive legal case against the Trump admin regarding federal funds
California – Supported by a coalition of 22 other states, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has made a significant legal move to enforce a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Trump Administration. Taken at the District Court for the Rhode Island, this legal action aims to offset the Administration’s ongoing rejection of vital FEMA funds in spite of earlier court orders meant to stop such interruptions.
The conflict stems from an illegal freeze the Trump Administration imposes on government funds, therefore influencing vital emergency readiness and recovery initiatives across the country. These initiatives are meant to strengthen local and state responses to cybersecurity concerns, floods, and wildfires. Attorney General Bonta claims that there have been ongoing problems obtaining these essential funds even when clear court rulings momentarily stopped the financial freeze.
“We have been closely monitoring the Trump Administration’s compliance with a court order stopping its radical and unlawful funding freeze,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Despite clear instructions form the court, some states are continuing to experience disruptions in accessing vital FEMA funding. We’re again asking the court to enforce its order and ensure that the Trump Administration immediately reinstates access to this funding for states across the country.”
This second motion to enforce specifically addresses a frozen FEMA grant initially awarded in 2022 to the Governor’s Office of Land Use & Climate Innovation under the National Flood Insurance Program. The blockage of this grant, which happened on February 21, 2025, sparked considerable concern regarding possible effects on California’s efforts at climate adaptation and critical infrastructure.
The background of this legal fight is a larger case recently by a coalition of attorneys general from 23 states, including Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, and California. They questioned the Trump Administration’s all-encompassing plan to deny up to $3 trillion in key federal funding.
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Early response by the U.S. District Court for the Rhode Island district resulted in a temporary restraining order stopping the funding freeze. This was soon followed by a court-approved motion for enforcement that required the Administration to comply immediately and cease the unlawful freezing of federal funds.
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Specifically for California, the effects of these court cases are significant. Accounting for 34% of its budget, the state expects to receive $168 billion in federal money this fiscal year. Among the very vital services funded by this money are California’s Medicaid programs, which assist almost 14.5 million citizens—among them 5 million children, 2.3 million elderly and persons with disabilities. Moreover, this federal support underlines around 9,000 full-time state employment.
Attorney General Bonta is joined in this legal action by the attorneys general of states such as Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. This united front emphasizes the widespread concern and demand for quick resumption of the blocked federal money to guarantee the continuing support and safety of communities across the United States.
A copy of the motion to enforce is available here.
