AG Bonta Blocks Trump Administration's Attempt to Limit Gender-Affirming Care

CA Attorney General Press Releases

Filed March 20th, 2026

Detected March 21st, 2026

Summary

California Attorney General Rob Bonta secured a court ruling blocking a Trump administration declaration that sought to disqualify healthcare providers offering gender-affirming care from Medicare and Medicaid. The ruling found the declaration lacked the authority to establish superseding standards of care.

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What changed

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a significant victory as the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon blocked a declaration by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. This declaration, dated December 18, 2025, claimed that gender-affirming care did not meet professional standards and could lead to the disqualification of providers from federal healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The lawsuit, filed by AG Bonta and 18 other attorneys general, challenged this declaration, arguing it lacked the authority to establish superseding standards of care.

The court's ruling grants the states' motion for summary judgment, effectively preventing the Trump administration from using this declaration to coerce healthcare providers into discontinuing gender-affirming care. This action is a critical defense of transgender individuals' right to access medically necessary care and protects providers who offer such services. Compliance officers should note the ongoing legal challenges and the importance of adhering to established professional standards of care, particularly in states with strong protections for gender-affirming services.

What to do next

Review legal counsel regarding the implications of the Oregon District Court ruling on gender-affirming care provider eligibility for federal healthcare programs.
Ensure adherence to established professional standards of care for gender-affirming treatments.
Monitor further legal developments and potential appeals related to this case.

Source document (simplified)

Attorney General Bonta Secures Ruling Blocking Trump Administration’s Illegal Attempt to Limit Access to Gender-Affirming Care

Press Release
Attorney General Bonta Secures Ruling Blocking Trump Adminis…

Friday, March 20, 2026 Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta yesterday secured a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon blocking U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s December 18, 2025 declaration (Kennedy Declaration). The Kennedy Declaration claims that gender-affirming care fails to meet professionally recognized standards of care and that, as such, HHS may disqualify any doctors or hospitals that provide such care from federal healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid. By threatening to disqualify providers from Medicare and Medicaid, the Trump Administration has sought to bully doctors and hospitals into no longer providing medically necessary gender-affirming care.

“This ruling marks a major victory in our fight against the Trump Administration’s cruel campaign against transgender Americans,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Kennedy Declaration sought to unlawfully bully doctors and hospitals into halting crucial care for transgender individuals nationwide. I am pleased the court has ruled in our favor, and I will continue to fight to protect Americans and the providers they trust from this Administration’s hateful agenda.”

On December 23, 2025, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 18 other attorneys general and one governor in filing a lawsuit challenging the Kennedy Declaration.

In yesterday's ruling, the court granted the states’ motion for summary judgment, declaring that the Kennedy Declaration lacks the authority to establish superseding standards of care to exclude providers from federal healthcare programs.

BACKGROUND

Attorney General Bonta is committed to defending transgender individuals’ right to safely access medically necessary gender-affirming care and to protecting medical providers’ ability to continue providing medically necessary care for their patients. In August 2025, Attorney General Bonta co-led a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit that challenges the Trump Administration’s executive order attempting to restrict the provision of medically necessary gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19 by threatening providers with civil and criminal prosecution under specious legal theories. In December 2025, he joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing amicus briefs opposing efforts by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to undermine the independence of scientific organizations that support medically necessary gender-affirming care. In late 2025, he filed amicus briefs opposing the U.S. Department of Justice’s (U.S. DOJ) subpoenas for private medical records, including patient records, related to gender-affirming care at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In January 2026, he filed a lawsuit against Rady Children’s Health for unlawfully closing its gender-affirming care program for patients under the age of 19.