AG Rob Bonta sues Trump again, this time over federal Education Department firings
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
BONTA SUES AGAIN OVER FEDERAL FIRINGS
For the second time in a week, Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing President Donald Trump over his firing of federal employees, after the federal administration cut the U.S. Education Department’s staff by half.
Bonta and a multistate coalition of attorneys asserted that Trump’s firing of the federal employees was part of an effort to dismantle the Department of Education. The attorneys general said that firing more than 1,000 employees would prevent the department from carrying out its duties, which includes allocating federal funding to schools.
“President Trump can shout ‘America first’ all he wants, but his anti-education agenda will only ensure we come in dead last,” Bonta said.
Bonta warned that these cuts would impact special education, support for low-income students, enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and technical education programs.
Trump campaigned on dismantling the federal Education Department and Education Secretary Linda McMahon has expressed support for unwinding the agency.
“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American public to return education authority to the states,” Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said in a statement.
The department said the cuts were “internal-facing” and would not have direct impact on students and families. Biedermann said the reduction in force was done in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement between the federal government and department employees.
Bonta used a familiar script on Thursday to announce the lawsuit over the federal firings. Last Friday, Bonta sued the federal government in an attempt to reinstate probationary employees Trump laid off. In both instances, Bonta said Trump had “overstepped his authority by a mile.”
In both of Bonta’s lawsuits related to federal firings, the attorney general asserted Trump had violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which prevents the president from using reduction in force process to incapacitate the Education Department from functioning.
“The president is not a king. He does not have the power to dismantle federal agencies that were created by congress or to change the responsibility of those agencies required of them by law,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said. She noted that Congress has declined to abolish the Department of Education when presented with opportunities to do so in the past.
In a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration that challenged the president’s firing of recently-hired employees, a California district judge ordered six federal agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary workers.
Bonta and his colleagues are seeking relief in a U.S. district court in Massachusetts to reinstate those employees that were fired earlier this week and stop the federal administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency.
THIS WEEKEND IN SAC: CAGOP CON
Via Nicole Nixon...
California’s Republicans will descend on Sacramento this weekend to attend workshops, elect new party leadership and run a victory lap after the 2024 election.
The CAGOP organizing convention will be the first meeting after Republicans wrested control of the White House and both chambers in Congress, though with little help from California.
The party also picked up a handful of legislative seats in the November election. But the party’s Senate candidate lost overwhelmingly, President Donald Trump lost the state by a double-digit margin, and the state’s congressional delegation is now 43 Democrats and nine Republicans.
After six years at the helm of the state party, Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson will transfer leadership to whomever wins a Sunday morning election by delegates. The contenders are CAGOP Vice Chair Corrin Rankin and former state Sen. Mike Morrell, who previously represented Rancho Cucamonga.
The speaker lineup includes Riley Gaines, a swimmer and critic of trans women in women’s sports, Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales and investor/author Grant Cardone.
There will also be the regular parties and schmoozing: a cigar and chocolate social hosted by National Committeeman Shawn Steel, a book signing by potential gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, and Saturday-night receptions hosted by the two candidates for party chair.
Bee reporters will be on the ground all weekend. Hit us up to connect and spill tea: nnixon@sacbee.com & jhatch@sacbee.com.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“So you folks think this is news? This is standard operating budget procedure by the Democratic supermajority. They do everything in the dark.”
— State Sen. Roger Niello, R-Roseville, on the $3.44 billion loan given to the Department of Health Care Services to pay for unexpectedly high Medi-Cal costs.
Best of The Bee:
A popular program helped California students pay for college. Now it may get axed, via Nicole Nixon
California state workers protest return-to-office order. ‘Four days? Come on,’ via William Melhado
California Sens. Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff are ‘no’ votes on budget as government shutdown looms, via David Lightman
Note: In the March 13 A.M. Alert, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz was incorrectly identified.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 4:55 AM.
