California, led by Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, has initiated a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration. The suit seeks to block federal attempts to condition vital public safety funding on political demands tied to state election administration and immigration policies.
Governor Newsom said, "Time after time, courts have told Trump’s corrupt administration that it can't coerce California into doing its bidding by threatening to withhold public safety funding. Yet, they’re coming back for more. This time they’re demanding states rewrite their own election laws to access money that pays for public safety readiness and response, and that Congress already approved. We simply won’t allow it.”
Attorney General Bonta added that President Trump is "trying to bully state and local governments into adopting his preferred policies in exchange for much-needed funding." He noted the administration has lost similar court fights and expects this latest unlawful attempt to fail, emphasizing that essential resources should not be caught up in political games.
The lawsuit targets the annual $150 million Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), administered by DHS and FEMA. These funds are crucial for training first responders, strengthening cybersecurity, improving emergency communications, and preparing for terrorism and other catastrophic security incidents. The Trump administration's conditions include requiring states to adopt specific election policies, such as verifying voter citizenship and transitioning to hand-marked paper ballots, with a potential 20% loss of HSGP awards for non-compliance. Other demands involve assisting federal civil immigration enforcement and granting FEMA broad authority to cut funding based on "agency priorities."
The coalition argues these requirements are unlawful, exceeding DHS and FEMA's authority, failing to follow proper procedures, and violating the Spending Clause by coercing states with vague, unrelated conditions. California has a history of successfully challenging similar federal overreach, including immigration-related conditions in 2025 and resolving a lawsuit over HSGP cuts in May 2026. This legal action continues California's commitment to protecting its election administration and public safety resources from politicization.