A coalition of 20 states, most led by Democrats, filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration on Tuesday after it threatened to withhold billions in funding unless the states followed its demands on immigration enforcement.
The states called the threats, which would cut federal money for transportation, counterterrorism and emergency preparedness, “blatantly illegal” and a “hostage scheme.” They argued that the administration was usurping Congress’s authority over spending and using the power of the purse to force states to adopt its policies.
“By hanging a halt in this critical funding over states like a sword of Damocles, defendants impose immense harm on states,” they argued in one of the suits, “forcing them to choose between readiness for disasters and emergencies, on the one hand, and their judgment about how best to investigate and prosecute crimes, on the other.”
Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, who is spearheading the litigation, added in a statement that President Trump was treating vital funding as a “bargaining chip.”
The White House announced two executive orders last month threatening to cut off funding to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions if they didn’t fully cooperate with immigration authorities.
Asked about the lawsuits, Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said: “Americans would all be better off if these Democrat attorneys general focused on prosecuting criminals and working with the Trump administration to address the toll of gangster illegal aliens on their communities instead of playing political games.”
The states’ attorneys general filed both lawsuits — one naming the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security and the other the Transportation Department — in Federal District Court in Rhode Island.
California, Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island are leading both lawsuits. Maryland is also listed as a lead state in the transportation lawsuit.
Joining them on both suits are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. All of the states have Democratic attorneys general and governors, except for Nevada and Vermont, which have Republican governors.
A similar lawsuit was filed a few weeks ago by a coalition of 19 states over the administration’s threat to withhold federal funding from states and school districts that have certain diversity programs in their public schools.
State attorneys general have also sued over tariffs, and mass firings at agencies such as the Education and Health and Human Services Departments.
David W. Chen reports on state legislatures, state level policymaking and the political forces behind them.
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