San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and 25 other plaintiffs filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Trump administration’s reorganization of federal agencies. They claim the mass firings of government employees, without congressional approval, was illegal.
The lawsuit was joined by labor unions, nonprofit groups, Santa Clara County, the cities of Chicago and Baltimore, and other local governments. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against President Donald Trump, the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Office of Management and Budget.
The case, known as AFGE v. Trump, argues that the administration has violated the Constitution’s separation of powers principles by ordering “large-scale reductions in force” that eliminate agency functions and dramatically reduce staffing levels throughout the government.
“The President does not possess authority to reorganize, downsize, or otherwise transform the agencies of the federal government, unless and until Congress authorizes such action,” the 115-page complaint states.
A White House spokesperson said the cuts are necessary to root out waste in government spending.
“President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse. This isn’t easy to do in a broken system entrenched in bureaucracy and bloat, but it’s a task long overdue,” said Harrison Fields, principal deputy press secretary. “The personal financial situation of every American is top of mind for the president, which is why he’s working to cut regulations, reshore jobs, lower taxes, and make government more efficient.”
Chiu and Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti were set to announce the legal action at a press conference Tuesday alongside labor leaders at the Santa Clara County government offices in San Jose.
The legal challenge comes just days after Chiu and LoPresti’s offices appeared in court seeking a preliminary injunction in a separate lawsuit over the administration’s attempts to withhold federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions.
In the new lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege the Trump administration’s February executive order requiring agencies to submit reorganization plans for approval represents an unprecedented attempt to “transform” the federal bureaucracy.
According to the complaint, Trump’s directive has led to thousands of layoffs at Health and Human Services, the Labor Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, and AmeriCorps, among other agencies, with plans to eliminate tens of thousands more positions.
“Ignoring applicable constitutional law, he has engaged in a campaign unprecedented in American history: to eliminate entire federal agencies; drastically reduce the number of employees, functions, programs, and offices at others; terminate leases for government property; terminate government contracts; and sell off government property, all without Congressional authorization,” the lawsuit states.
Trump established DOGE with Elon Musk as the helm shortly after his January inauguration as part of his campaign promise to restructure federal agencies. Administration officials did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.