AG Bonta​ filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for illegally planning to cut more than $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants, with more cuts potentially to come. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified Congress of its intention to terminate the grants exclusively in four Democratic-led states: California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. The targeted grants fund essential public health infrastructure, as well as testing and treatment for lethal diseases like HIV. Among the four states, California faces the largest share of the proposed funding cuts. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the lawsuit alleges that the funding cuts would irreparably harm the states and are based on political animus. The attorneys general have also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the funding cuts from taking effect.

“President Trump is resorting to a familiar playbook. He is using federal funding to compel states and jurisdictions to follow his agenda. Those efforts have all previously failed, and we expect that to happen once again. Still, all Americans should be outraged. President Trump is not above the law, but he continues to act as if he is. My fellow attorneys general and I will not be silenced. We will continue taking him to court any time he takes unlawful actions.” – AG Bonta