Newsom Directs $50 Million from California Taxpayers to Fight Trump Administration

Nearly one month after several parts of Los Angeles were engulfed in flames, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two California bills into law allocating $50 million to fight the Trump administration’s agenda, especially on illegal immigration. Amid the ongoing relief efforts in Southern California, some residents are expressing their displeasure with the governor’s move.

Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, told The Washington Stand, “Gov. Newsom’s decision to spend $50 million of taxpayer funds on lawsuits against federal immigration policies and legal services for illegal immigrants demonstrates a reckless disregard for California families. This sends a dangerous message: Some people must follow the law to become legal residents or citizens while others can break it with state-funded protection.”

Both pieces of legislation came from Newsom, who called a special session of the California legislature in December to “ensure key California values are protected from any unlawful overreach from the incoming administration.”

Newsom posted on X, “In response to the next administration’s proposed agenda, California is preparing to counter any unlawful attacks against the Golden State.”

The two bills, co-authored by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel and Sen. Scott Wiener, were passed to “Trump-proof” the state. The first bill, SBX1-1, allows the state’s Department of Justice to receive $25 million in additional funding for legal challenges against federal policy and actions of the Trump administration. The second, SBX1-2, issues $25 million toward general fund resources for “immigration and legal aid services.” The bill’s primary objective is to provide legal aid to illegal immigrants facing deportation.

According to the summary of the bill text, the legislation has four specific allocations or stipulations that apply:

• “Appropriates $10 million to the Legal Services Trust Fund to provide legal services to vulnerable persons at risk of detention, deportation, eviction, wage theft, intimate partner violence, and other actions that put their safety at risk, as a result of potential or actual federal action.”
• “Adds $10 million to the Immigration Services Funding program (also called ‘One California program’) at the Department of Social Services for immigration services funding.”
• “Increases $5 million to the Judicial Council, to be distributed through the California Access to Justice Commission to nonprofit providers of legal services.”
• “Specifies that up to 2.5% of funding provided for each item in this bill can be used for administrative expenses and requires reporting to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.”

Wiener spoke out against the Trump administration last month. “California faces two massive challenges,” he stated while first highlighting the hurdle of recovery from the “horrific destructive wildfires in Los Angeles.” The second obstacle Wiener labeled was “an incoming federal administration that has vowed to make it harder for Los Angeles to recover by withholding disaster relief and deporting immigrant Angelenos who have been impacted by the fires and who are actively helping their neighbors.”

When he met with Trump in Washington, D.C., the governor called the discussion “incredibly productive and constructive.” But it didn’t escape people’s attention that Newsom seemingly waited until after meeting with President Trump earlier this month to sign the bills into law.

After adding his signature to both pieces of legislation, Newsom claimed the funding wouldn’t help illegal immigrants “convicted of serious or violent felonies,” but the bill’s verbiage says otherwise. In fact, $10 million is granted explicitly to organizations that “provide immigration-related services, including removal defense.”

As the controversy over the governor’s agenda swirls, Burt pointed people to Romans 13:1-2, which says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

Burt emphasized that in our federalist system of government, Newsom is subject to the authority of federal law. He added, “California has an obligation to uphold federal law, not undermine it. Taxpaying, law-abiding citizens should not be forced to pay for legal assistance to help individuals stay in the country illegally while their own families struggle to afford basic needs. Instead of funding political battles, Newsom should focus on helping struggling Californians—especially in the wake of rising living costs, crime, and natural disasters.”

Burt also pointed out that California families should receive higher priority than illegal immigrants: “Just as parents have a God-given responsibility to provide for their children before considering the needs of others (1 Timothy 5:8), a government’s first duty is to its own people.”

He added that protecting its citizens and enforcing its laws should be the primary priorities of the U.S. government: “The United States, like any sovereign nation, has a right and a responsibility to protect its citizens, enforce its laws, and ensure that resources are used to support those who contribute legally to society. Yet, Gov. Newsom is diverting millions of dollars to shield those who break immigration laws while ignoring Californians who struggle with high taxes, unsafe communities, and failing schools. Every country prioritizes its own people first—why should America be the exception?”

In the wake of the Southern California fires, there is growing frustration among local families over the governor’s priorities. “Newsom’s decision to sign these bills is not just bad timing—it reveals his warped priorities,” Burt told The Washington Stand. “While families in Southern California are left homeless from devastating wildfires, Newsom is diverting $50 million in taxpayer funds to wage war against the Trump administration instead of using those funds to help Californians rebuild their lives. This money isn’t just for defending illegal immigrants; it’s a slush fund to fight Trump’s efforts to restore common sense and parental rights in education, protect girls’ sports, and stop the medical mutilation of children.”

In the end, he concluded, “Newsom’s $50 million will be used to resist these pro-family efforts and continue California’s assault on parental rights, religious freedom, and biological reality.”

Republished with permission from The Washington Stand.

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