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Washington Attorney General cites 52 lawsuits, says office protected roughly $15 billion in federal funds
Summary
At a press conference the Washington Attorney General reviewed his first year in office, saying his office filed 52 lawsuits in 52 weeks and defended roughly $15,000,000,000 in federal funding for state programs, and reiterated a commitment to defend state laws and civil rights.
The Washington Attorney General used a Martin Luther King Jr. Day press conference to review his first year in office and describe a legal strategy he said aimed to protect state programs and civil rights.
"Just over a year into office, we have filed 52 lawsuits in 52 weeks against the federal government's overreach," the Washington Attorney General said, adding that his office asked three questions before suing: whether the federal action is unlawful or unconstitutional, whether it impacts Washington, and whether the state needs to be a party to defend rights. He said those actions have helped "protect" about $15,000,000,000 that otherwise would have been cut, citing public safety, transportation, SNAP, health care and other services.
The attorney general also enumerated program-level successes, saying his office has preserved 12 health programs, including mobile health clinics, and defended federally funded services for domestic-violence survivors, mental-health programs for students and hospital research funding. "Planned Parenthood and other health care centers won't lose funding because we stood up to these unconstitutional actions by the administration," he said.
Nut graf: The remarks framed litigation as the principal tool the office is using to shield Washington from federal policy changes the AG described as unlawful. He described the work as both fiscal (preserving program funding) and rights-based (defending civil liberties and state statutes).
The AG tied the litigation posture to broader criticisms of the federal administration, saying "he has no respect for the rule of law" and that many federal actions reflect "elements of fascism," language he expanded on when pressed by reporters. When David Duttony of The Seattle Times asked what changed since last spring, the AG pointed to events including federal immigration enforcement actions and the response to the Minneapolis events as evidence of escalating concerns.
The AG said court filings and case documents are posted on the office's website and that most federal cases remain ongoing. He encouraged members of the public to review the office's filings to see the legal basis for its actions.
The press conference ended with the attorney general reiterating his office's priorities: defending state law, protecting vulnerable programs and improving transparency; he then took questions from reporters.
