The California attorney general’s office said in a press release that Attorney General , joined by the attorneys general of Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Sept. 30, 2026, challenging the Trump administration’s impoundment of Congressionally appropriated funds.
The filing contests President ’s Sept. 25 announcement that the administration would unilaterally rescind $810 million; the office said other appropriated funds appeared unobligated as of Sept. 30 and could expire if not spent.
The complaint argues the impoundment violates the Separation of Powers Clause, the Appropriations Clause and the Presentment Clause of the U.S. Constitution; it also contends the action is unlawful agency conduct in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.
Attorney General Bonta said, “I continue to be appalled by President Trump’s blatant disregard for the basic Constitutional framework of our government. Just because the President doesn’t like a program doesn’t mean he can defund it.” He said Congress, the part of our government closest to the people, has the power of the purse, and that “That structure exists for a reason: It protects the people from the authoritarian policy choices of a single person.” He added, “No President has ever worked so hard to rip healthcare, childcare, housing, and educational opportunities away from families. He should be ashamed.” He said the office is going to court once again “to protect against the rampant abuses of power by this Administration.”
The attorney general’s office listed prior litigation results it says have protected an estimated $208 billion in federal funding for California, citing examples including stopping a $10 billion freeze on childcare funding in five states; protecting roughly $8.7 billion through a preliminary injunction in a USDA‑grant challenge; blocking the administration’s attempt to shut down the BRIC disaster‑resilience program; California anticipates up to $1.1 billion for projects; halting a move that would have affected about $7.7 billion in transportation funding; and securing orders that prevented the withholding of federal education funds and the imposition of $300 million in NIH cuts.
The office framed the lawsuit as an effort to keep appropriated dollars available for healthcare, childcare, housing, education, emergency services and other programs Californians use; it said the suit seeks to preserve Congress’s control of federal spending rather than allow unilateral rescissions by the executive branch.
State
Rob Bonta
Attorney General · Democrat
Named 3 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Federal
Donald J. Trump
President of the United States · Republican
Named 3 times in this story.
Portrait: Daniel Torok / The White House (public domain)
Sources & methodology
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