LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday that his office has protected more than $200 billion in federal funding for the state, defended core civil rights and removed military forces from Los Angeles streets by suing the Trump administration about once a week.

"Since President Trump returned to office, California has been under attack — and has led the way in fighting back," Bonta said.

Bonta said his office has filed 82 lawsuits against the administration since Trump's inauguration last year, in addition to 122 amicus briefs supporting lawsuits against the administration by other parties and 112 comment letters in response to federal actions.

That work has saved the state an estimated $207.1 billion, Bonta said, including $168 billion — equal to a third of the state's annual budget — that was threatened when the Trump administration tried to freeze trillions of dollars in federal funding to the states last year. Billions in threatened cuts to transportation, emergency preparedness, education and family assistance funding were also prevented, Bonta said.

The work has also protected birthright citizenship for the U.S.- born children of immigrants, ensured that National Guard troops are not deployed in major California cities against the wishes of local leaders, lifted multiple sets of tariffs driving up costs for American consumers, and repeatedly blocked administration efforts to interfere in California's elections, Bonta said.

"We've protected funding that keeps our communities safe, feeds hungry families, and ensures our kids get the education they deserve. We've gone all the way to the Supreme Court to defend constitutional rights — and won. We've protected our elections and stopped the militarization of our cities. We've defended our right to prioritize public safety over assisting with the President's inhumane immigration agenda," Bonta said.

As it has done in the past, the White House on Tuesday derided Bonta's lawsuits as misguided.

"Instead of bragging about filing frivolous lawsuits against the Trump administration, the California AG should focus on addressing problems in his own state — like the countless criminal illegal aliens the Newscum Administration allows to roam free and terrorize communities," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to the L.A. Times.

The White House has previously said that Trump is "trying to restore American Greatness," and that Californians would be "infinitely better off" if Bonta got out of the president's way.

Bonta's office is required to report annually to the state Legislature on its work fighting the Trump administration as part of a 2025 special session measure delivering it an extra $25 million to fund such litigation, and published its latest report to lawmakers Tuesday.

The report said the office had received $19.2 million of the special session funding through July 30, which had "contributed to — but in no way has been sufficient to cover — the costs of the litigation."

Bonta's office has also received regular appropriations to fund such litigation in each of the state's last two budgets, of $14.2 million last fiscal year and $23.9 million this fiscal year. The office's overall budget is about $1.4 billion.

At a morning news conference with other state leaders, Bonta said his office has spent close to $30 million on its "federal accountability work" overall since Trump took office, and argued that investment has been "paying off in droves" given the billions saved.

Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón, D-Goleta, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, standing with Bonta, agreed.

Limón said she was proud to have worked with Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom to form a "collective backstop" against the Trump administration, while Rivas said the funding provided to Bonta's office "may be one of the smartest investments that this legislature has ever made."

Of the 82 lawsuits, 66 remain active, according to the report. Despite that, Bonta said his office has won 45 orders providing some early relief from the Trump administration's actions, and 21 final orders in its favor. In eight cases, he said, the administration "backed down" in advance of a trial.

Bonta's office has lost arguments made against the Trump administration, including on behalf of other litigants, particularly on issues related to transgender rights and the scope of Trump's executive power to reshape government and federal immigration policy.

However, Bonta claimed his office has won in 83% of the court orders issued in cases brought by the state, and praised his team for having "worked around the clock on behalf of Californians, pulling countless all-nighters along the way" to make it possible.

Bonta, who is up for reelection in November, is campaigning in part on his willingness to stand up to Trump — which polling and voting has suggested many Californians want their elected officials to do.

Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor, is running on a similar message. Before he was the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, Becerra had Bonta's job and sued the first Trump administration more than 120 times, often successfully.

Bonta said he expects Becerra will be an "incredible partner" in the fight moving forward.

Republicans Michael Gates, who is running against Bonta, and Steve Hilton, who is running against Becerra and is endorsed by Trump, have said they would work collaboratively with the Trump administration to ensure the needs of Californians are met, rather than fighting it at every turn.

"I would be wanting to work with the administration to help Californians," Hilton has said. Gates has called Bonta's campaign against Trump "out of touch."

Many of the lawsuits Bonta's office has brought against the administration have been filed as part of a multistate coalition of Democratic attorneys general. As presidents of both parties have flexed more executive power in recent decades, state attorneys general have become more collaborative and litigious in fighting back — and that has been especially true under Trump.

Bonta said Trump will be remembered in part for his "repeated attacks on California, on Californians, on our Constitution, and on our democracy," but California will be remembered for fighting back.

"Are these trying times? 100%. Absolutely, yes," Bonta said. "But we shouldn't be helpless, because we're not helpless."

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