As DOGE and other offices reshape federal agencies, the lawsuit seeks to stop the reorganization and massive workforce reductions underway at the order of President Trump
SAN FRANCISCO (April 29, 2025) — San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti, along with a coalition of labor organizations, non-profit groups, and local governments in Illinois, Maryland, Texas, and Washington have filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful reorganization of the federal government without legislative authority. The lawsuit describes how President Trump, the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), unlawfully ordered the restructuring and mass termination of federal employees without first obtaining required congressional authority, in clear violation of the Constitution’s fundamental separation of powers principles.
The case seeks judicial intervention to stop the implementation of the President’s unlawful Executive Order 14210 (“Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative”), which has resulted in the dismantling of the federal government on a scale unprecedented in U.S. history. Although the President’s Executive Order seeks to radically reorganize and deconstruct federal agencies through massive reductions in force, the plaintiffs make clear that only Congress has the power to change the federal government in the ways the President has directed.
“President Trump’s complete disregard for the rule of law has had incredibly harmful impacts on local communities,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. “The President cannot radically restructure federal agencies through massive layoffs with a mere signature on an executive order. Only Congress has the power to reorganize federal agencies as Trump wishes. The Constitution’s separation of powers was intended to prevent the abuse of presidential authority, yet here Trump is ignoring checks and balances and trying to act as both President and Congress. San Francisco joins this coalition to stand up for our Constitution and the rule of law.”
“The Trump Administration’s unconstitutional actions to reduce the size of the federal government are directly impacting millions of public employees, state and local governments, and all those who rely on government services,” said Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti. “These actions hit home right here in the Bay Area by making it harder for local governments to respond to emergencies like wildfires and earthquakes, reducing resources to combat homelessness, eliminating public health programs that help prevent the spread of disease, and undermining vital collaboration between local and federal government in dozens of other operational areas. The County of Santa Clara is proud to work in coalition with this diverse and expansive group of partners to put a stop to the Trump Administration’s attempt to bypass Congress and make unfettered cuts that are affecting all levels of government services.”
Since assuming office in January, President Trump has directed nearly every federal agency to make massive cuts to its workforce in furtherance of a reorganization of the entire federal government. In March, under the mandate of Executive Order 14210, the Department of Health and Human Services began eliminating more than 10,000 positions throughout the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health, throwing the medical, public health, and scientific community into chaos.
In addition, many other federal agencies are expected to significantly downsize their workforces including the Small Business Administration by 43%, the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 51%, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by 65%, the Department of Energy by 43%, and the Internal Revenue Service by 40%.
“When the President unilaterally cuts the jobs and services our communities rely on — services that protect children, seniors, and disabled veterans — SEIU Local 521, and fellow unions across California will step up and fight back,” said SEIU 521 Chief Elected Officer Riko Mendez. “Cuts and layoffs at the federal level are direct attacks on State, County, City, and school jobs. Tear one piece down, and the whole system begins to crumble. Today, critical service providers, including social workers, nurses, healthcare workers, and first responders, are already seeing delays in life-saving care. Seniors, veterans, and children are paying the price. We proudly stand with our local and state government leaders to stop this administration’s reckless, politically motivated purges of the public servants who hold our communities together. Lives are on the line — and we will not back down.”
Local governments like the City and County of San Francisco and the County of Santa Clara joined as plaintiffs in this case due to the harm caused to their jurisdictions as a result of the Trump Administration’s actions to remake the federal government. Federal staffing shortages and other dramatic changes to federal government operations will make it more difficult for local governments to effectively deliver programs and services at the local level. In addition, it makes intergovernmental work more difficult, slow, and cumbersome for state and local jurisdictions.
“Once again, Santa Clara County is taking action to protect federal employees because without their life-saving research and service, millions of Americans will suffer,” said Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee. “The current staffing mess in the federal government is inhibiting local governments like ours to serve our communities. What’s being sold as ‘efficiency’ has shown to be cruel and pure chaos, and this dangerous breakdown must be stopped immediately.”
In addition to the City and County of San Francisco and the County of Santa Clara, the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit includes the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and four AFGE locals, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and SEIU Local 1000, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Geophysical Union, American Public Health Association, Center for Taxpayer Rights, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Common Defense Civic Engagement, Main Street Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northeast Organic Farming Association, VoteVets Action Fund, Western Watersheds Project, City of Chicago, Illinois; City of Baltimore, Maryland; Harris County, Texas; and Martin Luther King, Jr. County, Washington.
The County of San Francisco and the County of Santa Clara are self-represented. Other coalition members are represented by Democracy Forward, Altshuler Berzon LLP, Protect Democracy, the Public Rights Project, and State Democracy Defenders Fund. The case, AFGE v. Trump, was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on April 28. The complaint can be found here.
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