AG Bonta Secures Emergency Order Protecting Public Health Funding

CA Attorney General Press Releases

Filed February 12th, 2026

Detected February 13th, 2026

Summary

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with other state AGs, secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration from terminating over $600 million in CDC grants for 14 days. The funding cuts targeted four Democratic-led states and were alleged to be politically motivated.

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What changed

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the successful motion for a temporary restraining order, granted by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which halts the termination of over $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants for a 14-day period. This emergency order specifically protects funding for California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, states led by Democratic governors. The lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of these states alleged that the funding cuts were based on political animus and would cause irreparable harm.

The court's decision suggests that hostility towards 'sanctuary jurisdictions' may have motivated the federal government's actions. This development is critical for public health programs reliant on this federal funding. Regulated entities, particularly state and local public health authorities in the affected states, should monitor the ongoing legal proceedings to understand the long-term implications and ensure continued compliance with any reinstated or modified funding conditions. The attorneys general involved have expressed confidence in securing a permanent block on these cuts.

Source document (simplified)

Attorney General Bonta Secures Emergency Order Protecting over $600 Million in Public Health Funding

Press Release
Attorney General Bonta Secures Emergency Order Protecting ov… Thursday, February 12, 2026 Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granting his motion for a temporary restraining order, which blocks the Trump Administration from terminating more than $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants for 14 days. The planned cuts exclusively target four Democratic-led states: California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. The attorneys general of each of those states filed a lawsuit yesterday alleging that the funding cuts would irreparably harm their states and are based on political animus. The court’s accompanying opinion states, in part, that “recent statements plausibly suggest that the reason for the direction is hostility to what the federal government calls ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ or ‘sanctuary cities.’”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If President Trump and those who work for him want to stop losing in court, they should stop breaking the law,” said Attorney General Bonta. “My fellow attorneys general and I will continue standing up for public health and the well-being of the people we serve. We are confident that the facts and the law favor a permanent block of these reckless and illegal funding cuts.”