Governor Gavin Newsom urges California lawmakers for $25 million to finance lawsuits against Trump.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked state lawmakers on Monday for an additional $25 million to offset the cost of legal battles with President-elect Donald Trump.
Newsom, 57, called an emergency special session of the California Legislature to submit the budget proposal, which the governor’s office claims will “safeguard critical funding for disaster relief, health care programs, and other vital services” throughout Trump’s second term.
“We will work with the incoming administration and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans,” Newsom said in a statement. “But when there is overreach, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we will take action.
“And that is exactly what this special session is about — setting this state up for success, regardless of who is in the White House,” said the governor.
If approved, the additional funding would go to a new litigation fund for the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and state agencies that aims to “defend California from unconstitutional federal overreach, challenge illegal federal actions in court, and take administrative actions to reduce potential harm.”
“With potentially billions of dollars in federal funding on the line if the President-elect follows through on his promises, we must be — and we are — ready to act on day one,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
The Golden State spent $42 million in taxpayer cash supporting litigation against Trump, 78, during his first term in office, according to the governor’s office.
From 2017 to 2021, the California Department of Justice filed 122 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Newsom’s administration believes that successful lawsuits filed during Trump’s first term saved Californians billions of dollars.
The governor believes the special budget legislation will be signed into law before the president-elect’s inauguration on January 20.
