Happy New Year 2025

Tag: AGs

Blue state AGs accuse Vance of spreading ‘dangerous lie’ following VP’s online criticism of judges

Blue state attorneys general accused Vice President JD Vance of attempting to spread a “dangerous lie” after he criticized judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“The Vice President’s statement is as wrong as it is reckless. As chief law enforcement officers representing the people of 17 states, we unequivocally reject the Vice President’s attempt to spread this dangerous lie,” the statement reads.

Seventeen state attorneys general, including those from California, Connecticut, Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington, signed the statement released Friday after Vance sent the internet into a frenzy, saying, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

AG PAM BONDI VOWS TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP’S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA

“Americans understand the principle of checks and balances,” the AGs wrote. “The judiciary is a check on unlawful action by the executive and legislative branches of government. Generals, prosecutors, and all public officials are subject to checks and balances. No one is above the law.”

Blue state attorneys general accused Vice President JD Vance of attempting to spread a “dangerous lie” after he criticized judges blocking President Donald Trump’s agenda. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Vance’s comments were made after a court blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing personal data. The Trump administration has become the target of more than 50 lawsuits since Trump began his second term in mid-January. Judges in various states across the country, including Washington, Rhode Island and New York, have continuously blocked the administration’s efforts to implement its agenda.

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance posted on X. “If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

The statement from the AGs said that they would “carefully scrutinize each and every action taken by this administration.” They also made clear that if the administration violated the Constitution or federal law, they would “not hesitate to act.”

“Judges granted our motions and issued restraining orders to protect the American people, democracy, and the rule of law. That is and has always been their job,” the AGs wrote. “That job is the very core of our legal system. And in this critical moment, we will stand our ground to defend it.”

Seventeen state attorneys general, including California AG Rob Bonta, signed the statement released Friday. (Loren Elliott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently pledged her support for Trump’s efforts, vowing to challenge “unelected” judges obstructing his administration’s agenda.

“We have so many un-elected judges who are trying to control government spending. And there is a clear separation of powers,” Bondi said during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom.” “What they’re doing to [DOGE leader Elon Musk], to our country, is outrageous. You know, people work their whole lives and pay taxes, yet they find out that they’ve been giving $2 million to Guatemala for sex changes. It’s outrageous. And it’s going to stop.”

6 TIMES JUDGES BLOCKED TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Since Inauguration Day, dozens of activist and legal groups, elected officials and local jurisdictions, as well as individuals, have launched a myriad of lawsuits in response to the president’s executive orders and directives. Notably, Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, his immigration policies, directives on federal funding, and the implementation of DOGE have all come under fire.

The Trump administration has proceeded to appeal many of these rulings to the appellate courts. In a recent development, the Trump administration appealed an order from a Rhode Island judge to unfreeze federal funds. The order claimed the administration did not adhere to a previous order to do so.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently pledged her support for Trump’s efforts, vowing to challenge “unelected” judges obstructing his administration’s agenda. (AP)

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The Trump administration appealed the order to the First Circuit shortly thereafter, which was ultimately denied.

Upon Trump’s historic win in November, Democratic AGs, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, publicly said they would be ready to engage in any legal battles against the Trump administration for actions they view as illegal or negatively impacting residents.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Haley Chi-Sing is a Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.

February 14, 2025
Republican AGs fight ‘freedom’s front line’ for Trump admin facing Dem lawsuits

GOP state attorneys are taking on a renewed role during President Donald Trump’s second administration as “freedom’s front line,” Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) incoming executive director Adam Piper told Fox News Digital, arguing that Democrats – deflated from losing control of both houses of Congress – are turning to left-leaning state attorneys to “undermine” the White House’s America First agenda.

Right now, there are 29 Republican attorneys general in the United States who are “uniquely qualified to be the tip of the spear, to be freedom’s front line and be a foundation for the future and a foundation for freedom every single day,” Piper told Fox News Digital. “These men and women are working tirelessly to ensure their states are the safest places possible. But they’re also working tirelessly to defend freedom, to help President Trump to ensure the American people have the system of government they voted for, they expect, and they deserve one that is free and one that is fair.”

In Trump’s first three weeks in office, Democratic attorneys general have sued the Trump administration on several matters related to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That includes New York Attorney General Letitia James leading 19 state attorneys in suing over DOGE leader Elon Musk’s access to Treasury Department records. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction in that case Saturday.

TRUMP HAS HIGHER APPROVAL RATING THAN AT ANY POINT DURING FIRST TERM: POLL

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 6, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Democratic attorneys general also partnered with the country’s largest federal labor unions to sue over Trump’s deferred resignation offer that would allow workers eight months of paid leave if they agree to leave their jobs voluntarily.

In turn, Montana’s Republican attorney general, Austin Knudsen, led 22 states in an amicus brief Sunday asking the court to deny a motion for a temporary restraining order and allow Trump to manage the federal workforce how he sees fit. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston federal court on Monday proceeded to push back the deadline a second time on Trump’s “Fork in the Road Directive,” which gives most federal employees the option to resign with pay and benefits until Sept. 30.

“During the Biden administration, Republican AGs were the last line of defense. We were the goal line stand, keeping the equivalent of a ‘tush push’ out of the end zone,” Piper told Fox News Digital.

“During the Trump administration, we have to play offense, defense and special teams,” he continued. “We have to be freedom’s front line. Working with the administration to ensure this DOGE regulatory reform agenda gets done, that we return to America’s Golden Age. But we also have to play defense and special teams. You’re going to see Democratic AGs take our playbook, bastardize it, and push back on the Trump administration. You will see states like New York and California get more aggressive, and Republican AGs are there to defend the rule of law, to promote freedom, and to ensure we work with President Trump to return America’s Golden Age.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks following a verdict against former U.S. President Donald Trump in a civil fraud trial on Feb. 16, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

As for the DOGE injunction led by James, Piper said it equates to “partisan gamesmanship from Democratic attorneys general who want to do everything possible to thwart President Trump’s agenda.”

“This is why Republican attorneys general are so critical to the success of the Trump administration in pushing back against Democratic attorneys general and their attempts to crowbar what President Trump and his team are trying to accomplish in Washington, D.C., which is returning freedom to the American people, returning government efficiency, eliminating fraud, waste and abuse,” he said.

REPUBLICAN AGS BACK TRUMP FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BUYOUT AS JUDGE DECIDES ‘FORK IN THE ROAD’ DIRECTIVE’S FATE

Regarding James, in particular, Piper noted how New York’s attorney general led cases against Trump during his 2024 re-election campaign that are now defunct and have failed.

President Donald Trump speaks before Pam Bondi is sworn in as U.S. Attorney General in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“A lot of her push back on the Trump administration is more about political theater than it is the rule of law in a court of law,” he said. “And today and moving forward, you will see Republican attorneys general being President Trump’s best friend from a policy standpoint. We will be his best champion from a policy standpoint. There’s no more effective elected official in the United States than the state attorney general. We’re more effective than the members of Congress, more effective than U.S. senators, more effective than even governors… You know, we can push back on some of this lawfare that you’ll see from Democratic attorneys general.”

The Republican Attorneys General Association has seen alumni advance to the federal level in the Department of Justice. Most notably, that includes the newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Piper said he also hopes to see the Senate confirm Aaron Rice, an alum of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, to join the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy. He noted 51 Republican attorneys general or staff alumni held Senate confirmed positions in the first Trump administration.

“Republican attorneys general and their staffs are truly America’s farm team. You know where the best incubator of talent to ensuring President Trump has known conservative fighters who are willing to fight every day for the American people,” Piper said. “And from Attorney General Bondi. There’s no better person to be the attorney general of the United States of America.”

As RAGA looks ahead, Virginia Attorney General Jason Myares is defending his office this year in what’s expected to be a competitive race, and then 30 attorneys general races will be on the ballot in 2026.

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“There’s an urban myth that Richmond goes the opposite way of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are going to make sure that myth is just an urban myth and just a fable. Attorney General Jason Myers is truly one of our best when you look at the issues across the board. We will have probably an uphill battle,” Piper said. “Virginia is a state the Republicans carried by two points four years ago. We have to have a good ground game. We have to have a good turnout operation… We have to make sure voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia understand the importance of attorney general, understand the public safety issues and understand that they need someone who every day will ensure Virginia is the safest place to live, work and raise a family.”

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 11, 2025
Judge to weigh Trump federal employee buyout backed by Republican AGs

Jack Otter and the ‘Barron’s Roundtable’ panelists discuss how DOGE is shaking up Washington, D.C.

As Big Labor challenges President Donald Trump’s federal employee buyout order, Republican attorneys general from 22 states came to the administration’s defense late Sunday.

On Monday, a federal judge in Boston will weigh the legality of the Trump administration’s U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) “Fork Directive.”

Federal employees have until 11:59 p.m. Monday to decide if they are submitting their deferred resignation in return for eight months of paid leave.

On Feb. 2, 2 million federal employees received an email after business hours closed advising them of a “fork in the road” – they were told they could accept eight months of paid leave if they agreed to resign by Feb. 6. The buyout offer, which came as part of Elon Musk’s effort to reduce federal waste at the Department of Government Efficiency, prompted a swift blow back from federal labor unions, which argued the Fork Directive is unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act and Antideficiency Act and that they will suffer “irreparable harm.”

Montana Attorney General Austen Knudsen – joined by the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia – challenged those arguments brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations in court.

SENATE DOGE REPUBLICAN PUSHES BILL TO BRING GOVERNMENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS ‘OUT OF THE STONE AGE’

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The late Sunday amicus curiae brief filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said the federal labor unions “complain” about Trump’s executive orders about the federal workforce and allege the president is eliminating offices and programs supported by congressional appropriations, but “do not challenge the authority to issue the Fork Directive or its constitutionality” because “such a challenge would inevitably fail.”

“Courts should refrain from intruding into the President’s well-settled Article II authority to supervise and manage the federal workforce,” the filing said. “Plaintiffs seek to inject this Court into federal workforce decisions made by the President and his team. The Court can avoid raising any separation of powers concerns by denying Plaintiffs’ relief and allowing the President and his team to manage the federal workforce.”

The Republican attorneys general asked the court to deny the plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order.

The Fork Directive reports that Trump is reforming the federal workforce around four pillars: return to office, performance culture, more streamlined and flexible workforce, and enhanced standards of conduct. It is intended to “improve services that the federal workforce provides to Americans” by “freeing up government resources and revenue to focus on better serving the American people,” the filing said.

The filing noted that 65,000 federal workers had already accepted the voluntary deferred resignation offer by its original Feb. 6 deadline.

Protesters rally outside the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr., who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, on Thursday temporarily blocked the deferred resignation offer until Monday’s hearing, and the Trump administration pushed back the deadline to 11:59 p.m. Monday.

DOGE CANCELS FUNDING FOR FAUCI MUSEUM EXHIBIT

In a statement, AFGE said the Fork Directive “is the latest attempt by the Trump-Vance administration to implement Project 2025’s dangerous plans to remove career public service workers and replace them with partisan loyalists.” The federal labor union said the directive “amounts to a clear ultimatum to a sweeping number of federal employees: resign now or face the possibility of job loss without compensation in the near future.”

“We are grateful to the judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News last week.

Further defending the Trump administration, the Republican attorneys general wrote that the Fork Directive – which takes similar language used during Musk’s mass layoffs when he took over Twitter – also is in line with public opinion, citing recent polling supporting that “Americans’ confidence in the federal government has reached depths not seen since the Vietnam War” and that “a majority of Americans believe the federal government is too large, inefficient, and wasteful.”

The Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is seen on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The American people elected a president who repeatedly made clear his desire for a more efficient, smaller government,” they wrote. “The Fork Directive is consistent with those desires. Thus, when weighing the equitable factors, the public interest weighs strongly against Plaintiffs’ requested relief.”

The federal labor unions requested a temporary restraining order so that the OPM could review the legal basis of the directive – something the GOP attorneys general said “makes no sense.”

“If the Fork Directive is unlawful (it’s not), then why are they asking—even in the alternative—for it to be implemented under more relaxed timelines?” they wrote.

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The filing also said the plaintiff’s claim of “irreparable harm” in lost membership and revenues did not hold water, arguing that extending the deadline would increase the harm to the unions by allowing additional employees to participate.

February 10, 2025
Democratic AGs from 19 states sue Trump admin over DOGE access to sensitive, personal data at Treasury

Democratic attorneys general from 19 states have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to sensitive, personal data belonging to Americans at the Treasury Department.

The lawsuit claims the Elon Musk-run agency illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest.

On Thursday, the Treasury agreed to limit the Musk team’s access to its payment systems while a judge hears arguments in a previous lawsuit filed by a group of employee unions and retirees.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIMITED DOGE ACCESS TO SENSITIVE TREASURY DEPARTMENT PAYMENT SYSTEM RECORDS

Democratic attorneys general from 19 states have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to sensitive, personal data belonging to Americans at the Treasury Department. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The payment systems have information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and much more.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business Wednesday the concerns are not valid.

“DOGE is not going to fail,” he said. “They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.

“At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched. We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is? But, in terms of payments being stopped, that is happening upstream at the department level.”

ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE

DOGE was launched to root out wasteful spending in the government, and it has already come close to closing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The lawsuit claims the Elon Musk-run agency illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic.

It includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

“President Trump does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress,” James said in a statement. “Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information and some of our country’s most sensitive data.”

The lawsuit by the attorneys general was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Treasury officials on Wednesday denied violating privacy laws, saying only two members of the DOGE team had been given “read-only” access to information in the payment systems.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

February 8, 2025
New York ‘polluters pay’ law backcharging oil, gas companies faces Republican AGs’ lawsuit: ‘Devastating’

FIRST ON FOX: In one of his first major moves, newly-elected West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey is suing New York over the state’s new “devastating” law that retroactively charges energy companies billions of dollars for pollution from 2000 to 2018.

“This bill is an attempt by New York to step into the shoes of the federal government to regulate something that they have absolutely no business regulating, and we are more than happy to step in and tell the rest of the country, along with our incredible other state partners, that this is unconstitutional and it won’t stand,” McCuskey told Fox News Digital in an interview.

The lawsuit alleges the law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, known as the Climate Change Superfund Act, unfairly targets traditional energy producers—regardless of whether they operate in New York—by imposing massive financial liabilities.

“These energy choices—and the benefits that come with them—entail necessary tradeoffs. All energy use, including energy deriving from ‘renewable’ sources, creates some pollution,” the 59-page lawsuit reads. “Traditional energy is no different.”

HOCHUL SIGNS BILL THAT WILL CHARGE OIL AND GAS FIRMS $75B, BUT CRITICS SAY CUSTOMERS WILL REALLY FOOT THE TAB

Recently-elected West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey is filing a multi-state lawsuit against New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul over its controversial polluter’s pay bill. (Getty Images)

According to the complaint, the burden of these costs won’t fall on New York consumers but will instead be forced onto producers and consumers in other states. The suit also alleges that New York is using these funds to subsidize its own infrastructure projects, such as a new sewer system in New York City, that have been damaged by extreme weather events.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York Albany Division, cites New York AG Letitia James, Sean Mahar, the Interim Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Amanda Hiller, the Acting Tax Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

“When you live in the real world, like I do, and you live in a place like West Virginia, where the values of the people indicate that we pay our bills, we’re humble, we’re modest, and we’re respectful of the people around us,” McCuskey said. “These kind of things hit us a lot harder. And so, you know, this is really a fight between the the elites and the people that make this country run on the back end.”

Attorneys general for Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Wyoming also joined the lawsuit. The West Virginia Coal Association, the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia and the Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc., are also joining the complaint.

The bill, first introduced under the Biden administration, is a “landmark legislation shifts the cost of climate adaptation from everyday New Yorkers to the fossil fuel companies most responsible for the pollution,” according to the governor’s December 2024 press release.

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER FORCES NEW JERSEY TO CANCEL ITS FIRST OFFSHORE WIND FARM

President Donald Trump enacts major reforms aimed at increasing American energy independence. (Getty Images)

“By ensuring those responsible for historic climate-altering emissions bear the costs of the significant health, environmental, and economic impacts already being passed on to New Yorkers, this law will complement the State’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help communities adapt to the climate-driven impacts experienced today, and leverage the significant investments the Governor is making in climate resilience,” Mahar, the state’s Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner said in the press release.

The law mandates that fossil fuel companies collectively contribute $75 billion over the next 25 years into a dedicated “superfund” that would then help rebuild climate change-induced infrastructure damage.

“This liability could be devastating to traditional energy producers,” the lawsuit states. “Indeed, the ruinous liability that the Act promises—especially when paired with similar efforts that might arise in other States—could force coal, oil, and natural gas producers to shutter altogether.”

FORMER TRUMP CABINET MEMBERS LAUNCH GROUP TO PROMOTE PRESIDENT’S ENERGY AGENDA

DCOR LLC’s Edith offshore oil and gas platform, right, and Beta Operating Company LLC’s Eureka oil and gas platform stand in the Beta Field off the coast of Long Beach, California, U.S., on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Photographer: Tim Rue/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Tim Rue)

In total, 38 firms – including American oil giants Exxon and Chevron, the UK’s Shell and BP, and Brazil’s Petrobras – categorized as “carbon polluters” could be on the receiving end of hefty bills, Fox News Digital previously reported.

New York’s effort to hold energy producers accountable comes at a time when the Trump administration is moving in the opposite direction, rolling back climate commitments through a recent executive order.

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Trump signed two executive orders last month dramatically reshaping U.S. energy and environmental policy from the Biden administration’s priorities. The “Unleashing American Energy” order aims to boost domestic fossil fuel production by cutting regulations and expediting permits for oil, gas, and coal projects. Meanwhile, “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements” withdraws the U.S. from global climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement, and halts funding for international climate initiatives. This is the second time under a Trump presidency that the U.S. has exited the Paris Agreement.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the New York governor’s, attorney general’s, and acting tax commissioner’s offices as well as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for comment.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

February 6, 2025
AGs warn against federal workers taking Trump admin buyout offer

Comer vows to bring federal employees back to work

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer delivered scathing remarks at the first hearing of the 119th Congress, criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of telework policies for federal employees.

A coalition of attorneys general are warning federal employees about the Trump administration’s “questionable” buyout offer, saying those who choose to resign may not be guaranteed its benefits.

Nearly all federal employees were offered a buyout as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to get workers to physically report back to the office. They have until Thursday to opt in, according to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) email sent out to all federal workers.

Those who choose to resign under the program will retain all pay and benefits, regardless of workload, and will be exempt from their in-person work requirements until Sep. 30.

However, the attorneys general said unions representing federal employees — the American Federation of Government Employees and National Federation of Federal Employees — have warned their members against accepting the offer, saying they are not guaranteed to be paid the benefits.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT SAYS TELEWORK IS ‘WASTING BILLIONS’ IN TAXPAYER CASH AHEAD OF 1ST HEARING

President Donald Trump, from left, speaks as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and Rupert Murdoch listen in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, as Trump prepares to sign an executive order. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Federal employees provide vital services that Americans rely on every day, and are an essential part of the California economy and communities across the state,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “The Trump Administration’s so-called buyout offer is a pointed attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce and sowing chaos for Americans that rely on a functioning government. I urge federal employees to heed warnings from their unions to be very cautious of any buyout offers.”

The other attorneys general hail from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

California Attorney General Rob Bonta talks about efforts to combat hate crimes in California. (Mindy Schauer/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

The buyout offer was made after Trump mandated all federal employees to return to the office. The email to federal workers noted that the majority of federal employees who have worked remotely since COVID will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week.

“The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration’s plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards,” a senior administration official previously told Fox News. “We’re five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office. That is unacceptable.”

In a letter to its members, the AFGE noted that the program doesn’t guarantee that the employee’s resignation will be accepted or that the benefits will be paid.

In a statement last week, NFFE National President Randy Erwin said the buyout shouldn’t be treated as a legitimate offer.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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“This offer from OPM should not be taken seriously,” Erwin said. “The offer is not bound by existing law or policy, nor is it funded by Congress. There is nothing to hold OPM or the White House accountable to the terms of their agreement.”

“Federal employees will not give in to this shady tactic pressuring them to quit,” added Erwin. “Civil servants care way too much about their jobs, their agency missions, and their country to be swayed by this phony ploy. To all federal employees: Do not resign.”

February 3, 2025
Republican state AGs back Trump birthright citizenship order in court filing: ‘Taxpayers are on the hook’

FIRST ON FOX: Republican attorneys general from 18 states are pushing back against lawsuits filed by Democrat AGs and legal groups nationwide challenging the Trump administration’s executive order on birthright citizenship through an amicus brief filing set to be filed Monday, Fox News Digital has learned.

“If someone comes on a tourist visa to have an anchor baby, they are not under that original meaning of the United States Constitution,” Iowa AG Brenna Bird told Fox News Digital in an interview Monday. Bird is the lead AG leading an amicus brief filing in support of the executive order on Monday.

“Oftentimes, when this has happened. It’s the taxpayers that are paying for the health care through Medicaid or through hospitals, paying for care for someone to have a child, or the state child health insurance system as well,” Bird said. “Each state has a system that helps kids without insurance, and so the taxpayers are on the hook here for all the costs.”

TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, alongside more than a dozen state AGs, filed an amicus brief supporting President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. (Getty Images)

Bird’s amicus brief comes in response to 18 Democrat-led states who launched their own lawsuit, claiming the order is unconstitutional and “unprecedented.”

“The President has no authority to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment or duly enacted statute. Nor is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth,” the lawsuit reads.

Attorneys general from California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine and others signed on to the suit, along with the city and county of San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration the same day he signed the order “on behalf of organizations with members whose babies born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order.” The ACLU also claimed the order is unconstitutional and against congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent.

TRUMP’S HOUSE GOP ALLIES PUSH BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BILL AFTER PROGRESSIVE FURY AT PRESIDENTIAL ORDER

ICE agents arrested seven illegal immigrants during a workforce operation raid. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Bird’s brief – signed by Republican AGs from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming – focuses on several arguments.

The first part of the 13-page brief claims that President Donald Trump’s executive order complies with the “original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment.” The second portion claims Trump’s order “reduces harm to the states.”

The brief states that the “Plaintiffs’ erroneous Citizenship Clause interpretation will continue the powerful incentive for citizens of foreign countries to give birth on American soil, even if they must illegally enter this country to do so.”

“The lure of American citizenship motivates pregnant women to travel to America to give birth,” the brief reads. “Some women, desperate to give birth in the United States, cross the border the day they deliver their baby.”

A border hospital administrator described witnessing pregnant women arriving at the hospital in active labor, still wet and shivering from crossing the river, determined to give birth in the U.S., the brief, which will be filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, says.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER FACES LEGAL CHALLENGES FROM 22 STATES

President Donald Trump, right, signs executive orders on stage at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump’s order, titled the “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” states that “the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States” when the individual’s parents are illegal immigrants living in the U.S. or if their presence is lawful but temporary. It was among the first orders he signed after taking office in early January.

“President Trump is restoring the meaning and value of American citizenship, and also making sure that if someone is breaking the law, they won’t be rewarded for that by getting citizenship,” Bird said. “And so it’s following the Constitution and making sure that we’re upholding our immigration laws.”

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Fox News Digital’s Haley-Chi-Sing contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

February 3, 2025
State AGs warn retail giant Costco for doubling down on ‘discriminatory’ DEI

Attorneys general in 19 states are warning Costco “to end all unlawful discrimination imposed by the company through diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies to reflect President Donald Trump’s recent executive order booting DEI out of federal agencies and warning private sectors to do the same.

“Racial discrimination is both immoral and illegal. Race-based employment hiring violates state and federal law, and as the chief law enforcement officer of Kansas, I intend to enforce the law vigorously,” Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Trump’s executive order, signed during his first week in office, will task the attorneys general with rooting out sectors and organizations that allegedly engage in discriminatory DEI practices. Recommendations will be made for potential lawsuits against violators.

REPUBLICAN STATE AGS AWAIT TRUMP-BROKERED TIKTOK DEAL, REMAIN SKEPTICAL ON APP SAFETY

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and 18 other state AGs wrote a letter to Costco’s CEO to urge an end to the DEI policies within the company. (Getty Images)

The order encourages private-sector entities to align with federal civil rights laws and discontinue “discriminatory” practices. Publicly traded companies, large nonprofits, foundations with significant assets, bar and medical associations and higher education institutions with substantial endowments are potential targets for DEI investigations.

Trump also dissolved all DEI within the federal government. While big companies like Target, McDonald’s and Walmart backed off from their DEI policies, Costco shareholders voted last week to reject an anti-DEI proposal brought by activist shareholder group National Center for Public Policy Research. The measure would have required the wholesale grocery chain to issue a report on the risks associated with their DEI policies.

The Costco board said its “commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary. The report requested by this proposal would not provide meaningful additional information,” according to reports.

TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: NEW ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS AND RESTRICTS FACILITY USE

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced he is ending all DEI programs and policies at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

“It’s time to ditch DEI. While other companies right the ship and abandon their illegal, woke policies, Costco has doubled down,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I’m putting Costco on notice to do the right thing and eliminate discriminatory DEI. No American should be denied an opportunity because they don’t fit the woke mold.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton led a “buy in” at the Harlem Costco in support of the company rejecting a bid that challenged their corporate DEI policies. The MSNBC host said that he and 100 members of his National Action Network shopped at the store Sunday.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS ‘NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE’: ‘NO EXCEPTIONS’

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a series of executive orders in the Oval Office on Jan. 23, 2025.

“Race-neutral practices, on the other hand, honor the founding ideals of this country,” reads the letter sent to Costco CEO Ron Vachris by the 19 attorneys general. “Now, the federal government is also focusing on ensuring invidious racebased discrimination no longer finds a home in woke corporations.”

The attorneys general want a response within the next 30 days to “either notify us that Costco has repealed its DEI policies or explain why Costco has failed to do so.”

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Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota also signed the letter.

Fox News Digital reached out to Costco but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Fox News Digital’s David Spector contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

January 27, 2025
Republican state AGs await Trump-brokered TikTok deal, remain skeptical on app safety

President Donald Trump signaled Saturday a deal could be underway soon to “save” TikTok from a looming ban, and Republican state attorneys general – many skeptical of the app’s security – are waiting to see if it comes to fruition.

“I have spoken to many people about TikTok and there is great interest in TikTok,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight to Florida, Reuters reported.

The reported deal Trump is working on involves partnering with software company Oracle and a group of outside investors to take control of the app’s operations. According to sources familiar with the matter, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, would maintain a stake in the platform under the proposed deal. However, Oracle would take control of data management and software updates, leveraging its existing role in supporting TikTok’s web infrastructure, two sources told Reuters.

‘NO BETTER DEALMAKER’: TRUMP REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ‘SAVE’ TIKTOK

Ken Paxton was one of the Republican AGs to file a lawsuit against TikTok for its “harmful” practices. (Photo illustration for Fox News Digital/Getty Images)

“President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok, and there’s no better dealmaker than Donald Trump,” Trump’s national press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told Fox News Digital.

Several Republican state attorneys general have actively pursued actions to ban TikTok, citing national security concerns and potential data privacy issues. In December 2024, 22 attorneys general, including those from Virginia and Montana, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the “divest-or-ban” law against TikTok. The law mandates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, divest its U.S. operations or face a potential ban due to national security concerns.

TRUMP’S ‘BLACKLIST’: PRESIDENT-ELECT DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF PEOPLE HE DOESN’T WANT TO HIRE

President Donald Trump signaled Saturday a deal could be underway soon to “save” TikTok from a looming ban. (Getty Images)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also initiated legal action against TikTok earlier this month, alleging “TikTok lied about its safety standards and concealed the truth about the prevalence of inappropriate and explicit material,” according to his office’s news release. Paxton’s lawsuit doesn’t mention the app’s ban.

A source close to several Republican state attorneys general told Fox News Digital on Monday that they’re confident if anyone can make a deal to protect the U.S. from the Chinese Communist Party, it’s Trump, but if it poses a threat to national security, then it should be banned.

FROM TIKTOK TO TULSI: HOW MIKE PENCE IS TAKING AIM AT TRUMP 2.0

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Republicans aren’t the only ones concerned about TikTok. Several Democratic state attorneys general have actively pursued legal actions against the social media app, too. In October 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 12 other states and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit alleging that TikTok exploits and harms young users and deceives the public about the social media platform’s dangers.

While Trump tried to ban the app from U.S. access during his first administration, he credited TikTok for reaching young voters during the 2024 presidential campaign.

TikTok went dark earlier this month after ByteDance had nine months to sell TikTok to an approved buyer but opted, along with TikTok, to take legal action against the law. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, citing national security risks because of its ties to China.

The app was reinstated for U.S. users the following day, with Trump promising an executive order to extend TikTok’s sale.

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“Welcome back!” the TikTok message read. “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”

Fox News Digital has reached out to TikTok for comment.

Fox Business’ Alexandra Koch, Bradford Betz and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

January 27, 2025
Trump hiring freeze prompts DOJ to pull job offers in AG’s Honors Program: report

The Department of Justice is rescinding job offers for the Attorney General’s Honors Program amid President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze, according to a new report.

The Attorney General’s Honors Program, established in 1953, hires graduating law students or recent law school graduates from top law schools such as Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford and the University of Virginia.

But the Department of Justice notified those who had been selected for the program, which serves as a pipeline to recruit top legal talent into the public sector, that their offers were being revoked, several people familiar with the decision told the Washington Post.

CAREER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS: REPORTS

A sign at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management distributed an email to those affected via email on Wednesday.

“Pursuant to the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20, 2025, your job offer has been revoked,” said the email,” according to an email the Post obtained.

Those familiar with the program said it may take on more than 100 lawyers annually, with recent hires assigned to the antitrust, national security, criminal and other divisions.

They told the Post that the program is critical in recruiting new top talent to the Justice Department in order to replace outgoing legal talent. The two-year program places young attorneys on a career path to stay at the Department once the program concludes.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FREEZES ALL CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION CASES: REPORT

The seal of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The Post reports that it is uncertain whether the program will resume once federal hiring starts again.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump signed a series of executive orders on Inauguration Day this week, including those initiating the federal hiring freeze as well as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and directing every department and agency to address the cost-of-living crisis.

DOJ RACING THE CLOCK TO ENSHRINE ‘WOKE’ POLICING RULES, LAWYER SAYS, AS JUDGE HEARS BREONNA TAYLOR REFORM CASE

U.S. President Donald Trump sings a second executive order during the inaugural celebration inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on the first day of his second term, January 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

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“As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law,” a White House memo said. “Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.”

Those exempt from the hiring freeze include military personnel and other federal jobs pertaining to immigration, national security or public safety.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

January 24, 2025