“The Trump Administration continues to pull the rug out from under California families just trying to get by, but we’re fighting back,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “We’re grateful that a district court has put a stop to this cruel new directive while our litigation continues.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has secured an early win against the Trump administration, obtaining a preliminary injunction preventing the White House from imposing “cruel new restrictions on access to public benefit programs.”
The lawsuit, supported by dozens of other state attorneys general, calls the administration’s decision to abruptly restrict access to “more than a dozen … benefit programs based on immigration status” as a worrying reversal of “nearly three decades of federal practice.”
In a press release announcing the suit, Bonta said that President Donald Trump’s attack on benefits programs is simply an extension of a larger trend.
“Let’s be clear: This latest salvo in the President’s inhumane anti-immigration campaign primarily goes after working moms and their young children. We’re not talking about waste, fraud, and abuse, we’re talking about programs that deliver essential childcare, healthcare, nutrition, and education assistance,” Bonta said in a July press release.
“Six months into the second Trump Administration,” Bonta said, “I’ll repeat a familiar refrain: We’ll see President Trump in court.”
Bonta’s case remains unresolved, but Wednesday’s ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island is expected to bring at least temporary relief to families who likely would have been impacted by the administration’s new rules, restrictions, and reductions.
“With today’s decision, vital education, nutrition, and health programs like Head Start — and the families who rely on their services — can breathe a sigh of relief,” Bonta said in a press release announcing the preliminary injunction. “The Trump Administration continues to pull the rug out from under California families just trying to get by, but we’re fighting back. We’re grateful that a district court has put a stop to this cruel new directive while our litigation continues.”
In court filings, Bonta’s office noted that a trio of federal agencies—the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, and Department of Education—released revised guidance on the definition of what constitutes a “federal public benefit.”
The same notice also placed enhanced restrictions on the ability of “noncitizens” to receive benefits under certain federally-funded programs.
“The decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island ensures that millions of families can continue to access critical services without fear of denial or disruption while our litigation continues,” Bonta’s office said. “With this ruling, the court acknowledges that the Trump Administration likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution by issuing sweeping new mandates without lawful rulemaking, grossly misreading the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, and failing to consider the devastating impacts on states and communities.”
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