Seven states have sued over the Trump administration's pocket rescission move.
Posted by The Lawfare Podcast, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
The Lawfare PodcastOct 8, 2026
Multiple sources confirm that California and six other states (Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon) sued the Trump administration on October 1, 2026, over the $810 million pocket rescission, so the claim was true as of the October 8 posting. The extraction is faithful: the post's 'among other plaintiffs' qualifier was dropped, which does not change the verdict.
What was said
… Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a fellow Republican with President Trump, and Democratic appropriators have denounced the move as illegal. The Government Accountability Office has agreed, and the seven states, among other plaintiffs, have already sued over it. This time, however, some district courts may be gravitating towards a novel, if so far untested, solution, using equitable and statutory authority to suspend the disputed funds' expiration date. …
The Lawfare Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that California and six other states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday over the roughly $810 million pocket rescission, which makes seven states in total.[1]
Supports. Jurist names all seven states in the suit (California, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon) and ties it to the $810 million rescission request.[2]
Supports. Bloomberg Law and Courthouse News independently report the states' complaint in the Northern District of California challenging the pocket rescission.[3][4]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 3 not rated
- 1California, six other states sue Trump administration over federal fundsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Seven US states sue Trump administration over ...jurist.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3California, Maine Sue Trump Over Withholding of Federal Fundsnews.bloomberglaw.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4States sue Trump over his commandeering of federal purse ...courthousenews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Trump administration performed a pocket rescission of $800 million across multiple programs.True
- The Trump administration requested a pocket rescission of $810 million in federal funding.True
- The Trump administration is using the rescission process to refuse expenditures that Congress has directed.True
- The Government Accountability Office has agreed that the pocket rescission move is illegal.True
- Twenty-three states filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration's executive order on mail-in voting.True