Litigation

Led by California AG Xavier Becerra and New York AG Eric Schneiderman, 16 AGs took legal action against the Trump Administration to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA). AGs filed a Motion to Intervene in House v. Price, a suit by House Republicans that challenges the legality of cost sharing subsidies under the ACA. Intervening states said the Republican-led action “undercuts the affordability of health insurance plans under the ACA.” AG Becerra said that President Trump’s unpredictable behavior and failure to defend access to healthcare threatens the lives of millions of Americans. The Motion refers to President Trump’s own words vowing to let the ACA “explode.”

Regulatory

West Virginia AG Patrick Morrisey and eight other states identified a list of federal regulations they said should be repealed, replaced, or modified. The recommendations are in response to a request for public comment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Recommendations in the letter include: the Clean Power Plan, Water of the United States rule, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the Clean Water Act, and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule.

Advocacy 

Louisiana AG Jeff Landry offered his support for new Louisiana House legislation aimed to prohibit the adoption of sanctuary city policies.  AG Landry said he is “hopeful the Louisiana Senate will follow the lead of Texas, where Governor Abbot recently signed a law prohibiting sanctuary cities in Texas.” AG Landry identified this bill as an important public safety measure that prohibits “the harboring of illegal aliens” in Louisiana.

Austin M. Harrison is co-author of this article.