We want to share updates on several of Public Citizen’s ongoing lawsuits against
the Trump regime.

But first, a few quick notes:

* So far, Public Citizen has filed seven lawsuits against the regime since
Donald Trump returned to power.

* We filed the first of those lawsuits within moments of Trump being sworn in
for the second time.

* Lawsuits can get a lot of attention when they are first filed and at certain
steps along the way.

* But the work doesn’t stop just because a case isn’t in the news.

* Our legal team is working almost around the clock. Not quite literally — they do go home to see their families and get some sleep — but
just about.

* They know, as do you, that the very future of this country is in jeopardy.
And they are giving everything they have as part of the broader movement to
refuse tyranny.

OK, on to the updates. We’ll start with the most recent lawsuit then work
backwards in time. If you’ve been following along over the past few weeks, look
for double-asterisks (**) below to spot the latest developments.

Lawsuit #7 — Illegal Dismantling of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

After Wall Street’s reckless greed set off a worldwide financial crisis in 2008,
Congress passed a law creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
to safeguard the American people, and our economy, from Big Banks and other
giant financial institutions.

On January 31, the Trump administration began taking steps to dismantle the
CFPB. On February 13, Public Citizen lawyers sued to halt that effort. The next
day, we filed a motion for a temporary restraining order. Later that day, the
judge entered an order blocking any destruction of records, firing of people, or
transfer of agency funding while she considers the case.

** We were in court TODAY arguing for a preliminary injunction to halt the
dismantling of the CFPB. **

Lawsuit #6 — Trump’s Unconstitutional Foreign Aid Freeze

Trump issued an executive order on his first day back in office directing
agencies to freeze almost all foreign assistance that the United States provides
worldwide.

On February 10, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of two organizations that receive
grants from the State Department and USAID to do humanitarian work. On February
12, we filed a motion for a temporary restraining order. The next day, the court
granted our motion and issued an order requiring resumption of foreign
assistance funding for our clients and others as the case proceeds.

** Last week — with the administration so far having failed to comply with his
order — the judge ordered it to release previously approved payments by midnight
on February 26. Instead, the administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn
the judge’s order and excuse its noncompliance. The Supreme Court could rule at
any moment. **

Lawsuit #5 — “DOGE” Invades U.S. Department of Education

In addition to infiltrating a sensitive database at the Treasury Department,
“DOGE” has accessed confidential information at other agencies as well,
including the Department of Education.

On February 7, we filed a lawsuit in federal court to block “DOGE” access to
Department of Education databases, which include financial information of
thousands of student-loan applicants and their families. On February 14, the
judge held an hour-long hearing on our motion for a temporary restraining order.

On February 17, the judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order. But
the case is proceeding.

Lawsuit #4 — USAID Shutdown Ignites Worldwide Humanitarian Crisis

The Trump administration illegally ordered USAID workers to stop doing their
jobs, terminated contracts, froze grant funding, and prepared to lay off or fire
nearly all USAID employees. Elon Musk bragged that he had spent the weekend
“feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” With USAID in disarray, essential medical
care, food assistance, and other critical projects across the globe cannot
operate.

On February 6, we filed a lawsuit in federal court to reverse the Trump
administration’s attempted dismantling of USAID. On February 7, we asked the
court for a temporary restraining order. That night, the judge issued an order
blocking the plan to put 2,200 USAID workers on leave and bringing back the
hundreds put on leave earlier in the week, through February 14. On February 13,
we were back in court seeking to extend the court order. The judge extended it
through February 21, as he considers whether to grant further emergency relief.

** The judge has since lifted the restraining order, but we will soon be
briefing a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to issue a final order
restoring USAID. **

Lawsuit #3 — Public Health Agency Websites Censored

On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive requiring federal agencies
to “use the term ‘sex’ and not ‘gender’ in all” federal documents. In response,
on January 31, agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed from their websites
important datasets and webpages, including information that doctors and
researchers across the country use to diagnose and treat patients, monitor
diseases, and advance public health.

On February 4, we filed a lawsuit challenging the removal of this vital health
information. On February 6, we moved for a temporary restraining order. On
February 11, the judge granted our motion and ordered the agencies to restore
the deleted webpages and datasets while the litigation proceeds.

** Last week, we amended our complaint to expand the scope of the case, adding
the City and County of San Francisco. Now we are preparing a summary judgment
motion asking the court to enter a final order in our favor. In a fit of
authoritarian desperation — Elon Musk has called for the judge in this case to
be impeached. At the risk of stating the obvious, there is absolutely no cause
for impeachment. **

Lawsuit #2 — “DOGE” Invades U.S. Treasury Department

On February 3 — following news that Elon Musk’s “DOGE” gang had infiltrated a
payment system at the U.S. Treasury Department — we filed a lawsuit demanding an
immediate halt to the illegal invasion of the privacy of millions of Americans
whose information is in that system. The suit got widespread coverage in the
media, both nationally and internationally. ( The American Prospect called it “one of the most important lawsuits in the history of the United
States.”)

Two days later, our lawyers filed a motion for a temporary restraining order.
And on February 6, the judge issued an order restricting two Musk-connected men
already housed at Treasury from modifying or copying the database, prohibiting
them from sharing any information with Musk or anyone else outside the
department, and preventing Elon Musk himself (or any additional DOGE-connected
people) from accessing the sensitive Treasury data while our lawsuit proceeds to
the next stage.

** Last week, we appeared before the court and asked for a longer-lasting
preliminary injunction. We are awaiting the judge’s order. **

Lawsuit #1 — Elon Musk’s “DOGE” Operating Unlawfully

Two minutes after Trump was sworn in on January 20, we filed a lawsuit
challenging the so-called Department of Government Efficiency — being run,
infamously, by Elon Musk — for operating in secrecy and in violation of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Shortly after we filed this lawsuit, two similar cases were filed and then
consolidated with ours. To maximize resources, we later decided to voluntarily
dismiss our case.

Now we want to say something about the support we’ve been getting of late.

From the moment we responded to Trump’s re-election with our plan to confront
him, we’ve received messages of appreciation — in equal parts for having a plan
and for giving hope. Then, from the time we filed our first Trump lawsuit within
minutes of his inauguration, the outpouring has been overwhelming.

From all over the country — and all over the world — people have expressed their
appreciation that someone is standing up to authoritarianism and for decency.
For trying to stop at least some of the destruction and cruelty and corruption.

Many Public Citizen supporters have also been kind enough to make donations —
with many donating for the first time, others making larger gifts than in the
past, and still others signing up to be monthly donors.

We are just so grateful to everyone who has chipped in whatever amount was right
for them.

And — equally — we want to be very clear that if donating is not right for you,
we understand.

Just reading our emails — so you know how we’re fighting back and so you know
you are part of something bigger than any of us could ever be on our own — is
incredibly meaningful.

On that point, if our updates are starting to blur together, don’t worry — you
don’t have to read every email or keep track of all the ins and outs of the work
we’re doing. We promise to keep you in the loop so you have at least an overall
sense of how we’re standing up to the Trump regime.

To be part of this shared project called Public Citizen is to be part of the
active resistance to the authoritarian nightmare that Donald Trump, Elon Musk,
and the rest of MAGA are trying to force upon the American people and the entire
world.

We are doing what we can. We are bringing to bear everything we’ve learned, all
the connections we’ve made, all the experience we’ve developed, all the passion
we’ve nurtured — from every victory and every setback — since our founding over
half a century ago.

If you can, please donate today to support Public Citizen’s work standing up to
the Trump regime. [[link removed]]

Anything you can chip in — $5 or $25, $50 or $100, $500 or even more — will help
at such a critical moment. [[link removed]]

CONTRIBUTE NOW [[link removed]]
Or join our popular Monthly Giving program (if you haven’t already) to help make
sure we have the ongoing financial resources to fight Trump day after day after
day. [[link removed]]

If you’ve donated to Public Citizen already, thank you. If a donation is not
right, we get it. Either way, thank you for being part of Public Citizen.

For progress,

- Lisa Gilbert & Robert Weissman, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen


Public Citizen | 1600 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20009 | Unsubscribe
[[link removed]]