California Sues Trump Administration Again, This Time Over Withheld School Funds

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 23 other attorneys general from across the country sued the Trump administration on Monday over its withholding of nearly $6 billion of federal education funding.

The lawsuit, filed by Bonta in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, is one of nearly three dozen legal challenges the state has mounted against President Donald Trump. California was supposed to receive $939 million in federal funding for K–12 programs, including after-school tutoring and summer learning, Bonta said.

Catch up fast: The state has filed 31 lawsuits against the federal government since Trump took office earlier this year, Bonta said. The first lawsuit was filed in early January after the president signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship. Since then, Bonta’s office has challenged the Trump administration over several issues, including funding cuts, alleged overreach by the Department of Government Efficiency and the mass firings of federal workers.

By the numbers: California sued Trump and his administration 123 times during his first term, costing the state around $41 million. Trump lost more than two-thirds of the lawsuits filed against him, according to Bonta’s office.

“It’s something that’s become more prevalent over the last couple of administrations, going back to the last years of the Obama administration and the first Trump term,” said Paul Nolette, director of the Les Aspin Center for Government at Marquette University.

California and New York have been the most active in suing the Trump administration. Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved $50 million for future lawsuits against Trump and for legal aid for immigrant communities.

What we are watching: The latest lawsuit alleges Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon violated the Constitution by unlawfully withholding money previously approved by Congress.

According to the lawsuit, the administration attempted to justify the funding freeze by telling grantees that officials were still reviewing applications to make sure programs are in alignment with the “President’s priorities.”

Bonta said the money, which was supposed to be released July 1, would have funded programs for disadvantaged youth, migrant families and English language learners.

“Let’s be clear, Trump and McMahon have no right to hold these funds back,” he said during a press conference on Monday. “In doing so, they’re jeopardizing critical programs our students, families and schools rely on.”

The bottom line: Bonta and democratic attorneys general are going head-to-head with the Trump administration over policies that they say are unconstitutional. With Congress’ conservative majority, it’s up to the judiciary to decide which of Trump’s policies will stand.