Democratic state AGs promise to fight Trump's executive power grab

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CN) — Top attorneys general from across the nation addressed a raucous crowd Thursday night in Minnesota, condemning President Donald Trump’s actions since taking office.

The town hall-type event is the second of a series that attorneys general from New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona and Minnesota plan to hold — both to hear from residents and give them options for battling the Trump administration’s unorthodox policy decisions.

Less than three months into Donald Trump’s second presidential term, he and billionaire Elon Musk, the unelected head of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency organization, have cut thousands of federal jobs and frozen federal grant funding for essential services. Trump’s administration has also signaled that they may not listen to judicial orders.

Executive Director of the Minnesota American Civil Liberties Union Deepinder Mayell told the crowd Thursday that the country is moving towards a constitutional crisis, citing Trump’s penchant for ignoring co-equal branches of the government and an erosion of civil liberties, including due process.

“We will not accept executive overreach into our towns, our homes, our schools, our doctor’s offices,” he said. “We will be there every step of the way to protect this democracy and this constitution."

In the last few weeks, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of attorneys general have sued Trump and DOGE at least seven times over actions like DOGE’s federal employee cuts and Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship.

Ellison told the crowd he was on the phone with the other attorneys general three days a week.

He condemned the Trump administration’s recent measures, calling the dismantling of public institutions, actions against law firms Trump does not like and his recent comments about CNN being illegal, “attacks against the constitution.”

“The lawsuits we are filing are not about partisanship,” Ellison said. “They are about the rule of law.”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes noted the irony of Thursday’s meeting taking place at a St. Paul high school after Trump signed an executive order the same day to dismantle the federal Department of Education.

She called Trump and Musk’s actions “unconstitutional” and “stranger than fiction antics.”

“This isn’t a policy debate,” Mayes said. “It’s about your livelihoods, your families and our nation’s future.”

Since taking office, Trump has sought to shore up more executive power, circumventing Congress to pull funding the co-equal branch previously authorized. Meanwhile, DOGE has continuouslyhad to walk backclaims amid a chaotic slash-and-burn process.

Trump’s cuts will likely affect disability services in Minnesota, which is projected to have a state budget shortfall in 2026 and 2027.

Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, proposed cutting $280 million for disability services in his budget proposal this year, a byproduct of a formally expected budget surplus and the likelihood that federal Medicaid cuts are on the way.

Chair of the Minnesota Council on Disability and Maplewood City Council member Nikki Villavicencio told the crowd Thursday that proposed federal Medicaid cuts could remove $880 billion from the program in the next decade, with Minnesota potentially losing up to $1.6 billion in 2027 alone.

“This means forcing people back into segregated and institutionalized spaces,” she said. “As someone who was born with disabilities, I’ve seen time and time again that whenever our communities are short in our budgets, people with disabilities and senior services are cut first.”

Ellison said that the Trump administration has also launched investigations against at least 60 universities, including the University of Minnesota, to stop Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.

“DEI is not illegal at all,” he said. “It’s the opposite of discrimination.”

Another focus of the Trump administration is rolling back protections and healthcare for transgender individuals, particularly those in the military.

“The VA has saved my life over and over again,” Elizabeth Java, a veteran and transgender woman, told the crowd.” When I attempted suicide after I left the military, when my late wife was suffering from cancer and when I came out of the closet, the VA was there for me and I’m a healthy, productive member of society today because those heroes cared for me when I couldn’t care for myself.”

Trump, along with Musk, has also called for federal judges to be impeached following rulings not in their favor, as well.

New York Attorney General Letitia James urged the crowd to keep fighting to a standing ovation, one of three she received Thursday.

“My faith in the constitution is whole. It’s complete. I’m not going to sit idly by and allow this government to diminish our Constitution, to diminish our freedoms, our liberty. Not now, not ever,” she said.

She encouraged the crowd to call any of their offices if the Trump administration violates court orders or wants to air any grievances felt by the administration’s actions.