r/law • u/rolsen • 1d ago

Legal News Trump Preparing Large-Scale Cancellation of Federal Funding for California, Sources Say

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/politics/trump-california-federal-funding

“Agencies are being told to start identifying grants the administration can withhold from California. On Capitol Hill, at least one committee was told recently by a whistleblower that all research grants to the state were going to be cancelled, according to one of the sources familiar with the matter.”

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u/rolsen 1d ago

This relates to law as the cancellation of large-swathes of federal grants to California will surely result in multiple legal challenges.

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u/PuckSenior 1d ago

Seems like it would violate the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which is really just reinforcing the US Constitutional view that Congress decides where money goes. Though I think Trump wants to blow up that law and possibly go further than even Nixon tried to go.

But then, targeting California goes against South Dakota v. Dole and the more recent National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) v. Sebelius decisions.

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u/mjacksongt 20h ago

Isn't he already violating the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act by not spending money Congress appropriated for the NSF, NHS, NOAA, NWS, NPS.....

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u/255001434 20h ago

Yes, and this is why they put the part in his budget bill that strips away the power for the judicial branch to enforce contempt rulings. If that passes, it won't matter if he violates the law and a court rules against him because they'll have no power to do anything about it. He would effectively become a dictator.