Another Bay Area County Joins Lawsuit Against Trump Administration To Protect Grants

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Along with a national coalition of cities and counties, Marin County has joined a lawsuit against the Federal Administration, which aims to prevent the enforcement of unlawful conditions tied to crucial federal grants, officials announced Tuesday.

The lawsuit targets Executive Orders that impose new policy requirements on grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These grants fund programs like affordable housing, social services, public safety, and infrastructure, which support local economies and residents' quality of life, officials said.

Despite a temporary restraining order issued by Judge Richard Seeborg on Aug. 26, preventing enforcement of grant conditions, the Federal Administration continues to pressure local governments, including Marin, with the same unlawful requirements, officials said.

“We expect that the federal government will comply with the Court’s orders. The executive orders have resulted in grant conditions being included in grants to the County that were vague and not authorized by Congress. We have been able to work through these issues so far but need protection from conditions that have not been properly authorized by Congress,” Brian Washington, Marin County Legal Counsel, told Patch.

The coalition of plaintiffs now includes the County of Marin, the County of San Diego, the City of Alameda, and the City of Redwood City. Those jurisdictions joined the original lawsuit filed on August 20, 2025, by the City of Fresno, the City of Eureka, the City of South Lake Tahoe, the County of Sacramento, the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Monroe County and the Monroe County Airport Authority in New York.

This week, Marin and the other new plaintiffs officially joined the lawsuit. They also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, seeking to extend the restraining order's protections to include all plaintiffs.

Cities and counties have long depended on federal HUD, DOT, and HHS programs for essential services, spending funds on the promise of reimbursement, officials said. However, sudden rule changes by the Federal Administration cast doubt on whether these reimbursements will be honored.