AG Nessel Highlights Year of Federal Actions Against Trump Administration’s Illegal Actions

LANSING – Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has taken action to protect the rights, services, and federal funding that Michigan residents depend on. A year following Attorney General Nessel’s first lawsuit against illegal action by the Trump administration, she is highlighting the actions the Department of Attorney General has taken to defend Michiganders from unlawful federal policies and preserve the rule of law. 

Attorney General Nessel has filed 45 lawsuits challenging illegal federal actions and recouped more than $2.2 billion in Michigan taxpayer money. Through this litigation, her office has secured dozens of injunctions, including 22 current injunctions, eight full victories through court orders, and three additional victories achieved when the federal government withdrew or reversed unlawful policies following challenges. These cases span a wide range of critical issues and have protected Michigan residents from the dismantlement of essential services, the misuse of public funds, the erosion of privacy, and violations of constitutional rights. 

"I am proud of the work my office and Democratic attorneys general across the country have done to protect our residents, our states and this nation from unlawful federal actions," Nessel said. "These harms were prevented through fast, organized action, and I will continue to defend Michiganders and bring back taxpayer dollars owed to our state." 

Attorney General Nessel has fought aggressively to protect taxpayer dollars. Through numerous lawsuits, her office has ensured that billions in congressionally authorized funding continue to flow to Michigan without termination or unlawful conditions. These efforts have preserved funding for disaster relief, public health, education, infrastructure, mental health resources for students, resources that prevent homelessness and services for crime victims. Other actions protected wind energy projects and blocked the administration from illegally withholding funding for federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs.  

The Attorney General has joined multistate coalitions to halt attempts to gut or unlawfully restructure agencies that provide essential services to Michigan communities. This includes lawsuits to block mass firings and restructuring within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which threatened public health programs and services relied upon by families across the state. When AmeriCorps was unlawfully slashed, Attorney General Nessel sued to restore service programs and grants that support thousands of volunteer efforts that provide health services, academic support, and crime reduction services. In each instance, courts intervened to stop the federal actions that violated the rule of law. Attorney General Nessel is also working to stop the complete defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

The Attorney General has also filed lawsuits against attempts by the federal government to force states to surrender citizens’ personal data as a condition of funding or compliance. Attorney General Nessel’s actions protected the personal information of Michigan residents and preserved the state’s ability to administer programs without unlawful federal intrusion, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Department of Attorney General has additionally fought federal actions that violate constitutional rights, including attempts to exclude certain newborns from birthright citizenship, impose sweeping illegal voting restrictions nationwide, and eliminate access to transgender care for young people. 

Attorney General Nessel has further been successful in challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to wage war on information and knowledge. Through these lawsuits the Attorney General has restored statewide library services, halted the federal government from slashing billions of dollars in medical research funding, blocked funding caps that would have slashed support for vital state-run energy programs, and recouped funding for teen reproductive and sexual health education programs.  

A video of a media avail with Attorney General Nessel, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul recognizing the one-year anniversary of the first attorneys general multistate lawsuit during President Donald Trump's second term will be available on the Department’s YouTube channel.  

To help Michiganders stay informed, the Department created the Federal Actions Tracker. The tracker provides up-to-date information on the Attorney General's legal actions in response to several unlawful federal policies and orders.