El estado de California está rechazando el anuncio sorpresa de la Administración Trump de anoche ordenando una pausa en todas las subvenciones y préstamos federales, que entrará en vigencia hoy. 

El Fiscal General de California, Rob Bonta, anunció el martes por la mañana que se está uniendo a otros fiscales generales a lo largo del país en una demanda destinada a detener la acción de Trump. Lee el comunicado completo de la oficina de Bonta a continuación:

El Fiscal General de California, Rob Bonta, junto con la Fiscal General de Nueva York, Letitia James, lideró una coalición de 23 fiscales generales en la presentación de una demanda para bloquear la implementación de un memorando de la Oficina de Administración y Presupuesto (OMB) que amenaza con congelar hasta $3 billones en fondos de asistencia federal a partir de las 2pm PT / 5pm ET de hoy. Los fiscales generales están buscando una orden de restricción temporal para bloquear el memorando, citando daños inmediatos para sus estados, que podrían perder miles de millones en fondos esenciales para la administración de programas vitales que apoyan la salud y seguridad de sus residentes. La orden ya ha causado caos en los programas estatales y creado incertidumbre en su administración. Los programas afectados incluyen financiamiento para desastres necesario para la recuperación de Los Ángeles de los incendios forestales recientes, así como salud pública, educación, seguridad pública y programas gubernamentales.

“La Administración Trump está ignorando de manera imprudente la salud, el bienestar y la seguridad pública de las personas a las que se supone que debe servir,” dijo el Fiscal General Bonta. “Esta directiva es sin precedentes en su alcance y sería devastadora si se implementara. Ya ha creado caos y confusión entre nuestros residentes. No me quedaré de brazos cruzados mientras el Presidente intenta interrumpir programas vitales que alimentan a nuestros hijos, brindan atención médica a nuestras familias y respaldan la vivienda y la educación en nuestras comunidades. En lugar de aprender de las derrotas de su primera administración, el Presidente Trump una vez más está avanzando con una agenda dañina - y, lo que es más importante, ilegal. Estoy orgulloso de liderar una coalición de fiscales generales para llevarlo ante la corte.” 

La directiva de la OMB que congela la financiación federal menos de 24 horas después de su anuncio causará un daño inmediato e irreparable a los estados cada día que esté en efecto, en forma de millones de dólares en fondos y un caos regulatorio masivo. Muchos estados podrían enfrentar déficits de efectivo inmediatos, lo que dificultaría administrar programas básicos como financiación para la salud y alimentos para niños y abordar sus necesidades de emergencia más apremiantes. Esto resultará en consecuencias devastadoras para California en particular, dada la incertidumbre en torno a la continuación de la distribución de fondos de la FEMA que es esencial para la recuperación de los incendios forestales de Los Ángeles, que han causado pérdidas económicas estimadas en $150 mil millones.

En la demanda, los fiscales generales argumentan que la directiva de la OMB viola la Constitución de los EE. UU., viola la Ley de Procedimiento Administrativo y es arbitraria y caprichosa. Específicamente, los fiscales generales argumentan que el Congreso no ha delegado ninguna autoridad unilateral a la OMB para suspender indefinidamente toda asistencia financiera federal bajo ninguna circunstancia, independientemente de las leyes federales y los términos contractuales que rigen esas subvenciones, y sin siquiera considerarlos. La directiva también viola la “separación de poderes” entre el Congreso y el Poder Ejecutivo porque la Cláusula del Gasto de la Constitución de los EE. UU. otorga el poder del bolsillo exclusivamente al Congreso. Los fiscales generales buscan una orden de restricción temporal para bloquear la implementación de la directiva.

El fiscal general Bonta está acompañado por los fiscales generales de Nueva York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawái, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Carolina del Norte, Nueva Jersey, Nuevo México, Oregón, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin y el Distrito de Columbia en la presentación de la demanda.

Una copia de la demanda y la orden de restricción temporal estará disponible aquí.

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Además, el congresista de la Costa Norte, Jared Huffman, emitió la siguiente declaración acerca de la acción de Trump:

Hoy, el Fundador de la Fuerza de Tareas Proyecto Stop 2025 y Miembro de Mayor Rango del Comité de Recursos Naturales de la Cámara Jared Huffman (CA-02) emitió una declaración criticando la orden ilegal de la administración Trump para que la Oficina de Administración y Presupuesto (OMB) bloquee y redirija vastas extensiones de fondos federales aprobados por el Congreso. Este intento radical de anular leyes y subordinar el poder del Artículo I del Congreso a los caprichos de las Órdenes Ejecutivas de Trump sigue a la purga de Trump de más de una docena de inspectores independientes de organismos conocidos como Inspectores Generales en flagrante violación de una ley bipartidista de 2022 promulgada en respuesta a intentos anteriores de Trump de evadir la supervisión y la rendición de cuentas de los inspectores generales independientes.

“Trump is wasting no time testing the sideboards of democracy, betting that his feckless Republican Congress and his MAGA Supreme Court will stand back and stand by as he claims virtually unlimited power.  With this one memo, Trump is sidelining Congress and placing supreme authority over most of the federal budget and the federal bureaucracy in the hands of Russ Vought – the principle architect of Project 2025 who has written that we are living in a “post-Constitutional” time and that his role as OMB Director is to be “keeper of commander’s intent.”  Vought has called for Trump to ignore statutory reforms that protect Congress’ Article I spending authority and to aggressively freeze or “impound” federal spending and agency actions, daring the courts to stop him.  In Project 2025, he wrote that OMB is the only agency with enough power to “override” federal agencies efforts to implement laws, and now Trump is ordering him to do it,” said Huffman. “We cannot allow this dangerous power grab to be lost in the fog of confusion as Trump bombards us with one extreme executive order after another.  What Trump is doing here, especially in conjunction with last week’s shocking midnight purge of inspectors general, is crystal clear:  he is setting the stage to operate as a king, with no oversight or accountability.”  

“This is simultaneously an attack on democracy and hardworking American families. To benefit his billionaire donors and wealthy corporations, Trump just illegally ordered his cronies to steal taxpayer dollars that communities rely on to support families, defend against wildfires, research cancer, pay teachers and first responders, create jobs, and much more.

“Like it or not, an existential test of American democracy is upon us.  The American people and many of my colleagues may be distracted, exhausted, and overwhelmed, but we face a binary choice:  confront this sweeping authoritarian takeover and defend the rule of law, or let Trump be a dictator and hope he will heed the recent prayer from Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde to “have mercy.”  I know where I stand, and I will urge my constituents and all of my congressional colleagues, including any Republicans who still believe in the Constitution, to join me.” 

How Trump’s Power Grab Will Hurt Americans

Among much else, the directives in the memo could block funding for:

  • PUBLIC SAFETY: Grants for law enforcement and homeland security activities will cease to go out the door, undermining public safety in every state and territory.
  • DISASTER RELIEF: Public assistance and hazard mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and non-profits to help communities quickly respond to, recover from, and prepare for major disasters will be halted—right as so many communities are struggling after severe natural disasters, most recently in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and California.
  • INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: All federally-funded transportation projects across the country—roads, bridges, public transit, and more—will be halted, including projects already under construction.
  • COMBATTING FENTANYL CRISIS: Funding for communities to address the substance use disorder crisis and combat the fentanyl crisis will be cut off.
  • 988 SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE: Funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, as well as grants for mental health services, will be cut off.
  • BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: There will be immediate pauses on all funding for critical health research, including research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, as well as clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and all across the country—disrupting lifesaving and often time-sensitive research.
  • EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Critical preparedness and response capability funding used to prepare for disasters, public health emergencies, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events will be stopped.
  • FIREFIGHTING: Grants to support firefighters across the country will be halted—this includes grants that help states and localities purchase essential firefighting equipment and prepare for and reduce wildfire risk.
  • HEAD START: Funding for Head Start programs that provide comprehensive early childhood education for more than 800,000 kids and their families will be cut off. Teachers and staff would not get paid and programs may not be able to stay open.
  • CHILD CARE: Child care programs across the country will not be able to access the funding they rely on to keep their doors open.
  • K-12 SCHOOLS: Federal funding for our K-12 schools will be halted. School districts may not be able to access key formula grant funding including Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and Career and Technical Education, which would pose tremendous financial burdens on schools in the middle of the school year.
  • HIGHER EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING: Millions of students relying on Pell grants, federal student loans, and federal work study will have their plans to pursue postsecondary education and further their careers thrown into chaos as federal financial aid disbursements are paused.
  • HEALTH SERVICES: Federal funding for community health centers that provide health care for over 30 million Americans will be immediately withheld, creating chaos for patients trying get their prescriptions, a regular checkup, and more.
  • SMALL BUSINESSES: The Small Business Administration will have to halt loans to small businesses—including those in disaster ravaged communities in North Carolina, Texas, and Florida.
  • VETERANS CARE: Federal grants to help veterans in rural areas access health care and grants to help veterans get other critical services, including suicide prevention resources, transition assistance, and housing for homeless veterans, will be cut off.
  • NUTRITION ASSISTANCE: Millions of American citizens who rely on nutrition assistance programs like SNAP, WIC, and school lunch programs will be left hungry as funding is cut off and non-profits who provide additional assistance lose federal funding.
  • TRIBES: Funding to Tribes for basic government services like health care, public safety, programs, Tribal schools, and food assistance will be halted.
  • PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: All Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, as well as funding for victims assistance and state and local police, will be cut off.
  • U.S. COMPETITIVENESS: Existing grants to support research for AI and quantum computing will be halted and any new grant funding would be paused—undermining U.S. innovation and competitiveness with China and putting American jobs at risk.
  • ENERGY JOBS: Grants for critical energy projects nationwide will be cut off—halting billions of dollars in investment nationwide and jeopardizing good-paying American jobs. The Department of Energy Loan Program Office will halt loans in 28 states, impacting hundreds of thousands of construction and operations jobs.
  • FOOD INSPECTIONS: Some states will have to take on the full financial burden of ensuring the nation’s meat supply is safe if federal cooperative agreements for meat inspection are halted.
  • SUPPORT FOR SERVICEMEMBERS: Support for a host of DOD financial assistance and grant programs supporting servicemembers and their families will be halted, including the Fisher House, Impact Aid, community noise mitigation, ROTC language training, STEM programs, and the USO.
  • WEAKENS MILITARY READINESS: Grants and other assistance appropriated to strengthen military effectiveness and defense capacity will be halted, including Defense Production Act support for the defense industrial base, basic research grants necessary to advance key technologies, and small business support to strengthen supply chains.
  • AMERICANS OVERSEAS: Programs that track and combat the spread of infectious diseases, create business opportunities for American companies in emerging markets, combat terrorism, and counter the influence of the PRC, Russia, and Iran—and efforts to ensure the safety and security of Americans implementing these programs—are all suspended and could be terminated.

Fact sheets detailing how presidents lack power to unilaterally override spending laws and deny enacted funding to communities through impoundment can be found here and here. 


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