California’s Democratic lawmakers approved $50 million in emergency funding Feb. 3 for the state to use against federal actions it sees as hostile.

Two urgent pieces of legislation—SBX1-1 and SBX1-2—will now be considered by the state’s Senate.

The legislation is designed to guard the state from the Trump administration’s “unlawful and unconstitutional” actions, according to a statement released by lawmakers.

“The votes I took today represent something bigger than politics—they’re about standing up for the Constitution, the rule of law, and our most vulnerable communities,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, representing San Francisco’s East Bay communities.

Wicks called recent action by Trump and other Republicans a “direct assault on the people and values of California.”

Trump’s administration is continuing to deport hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals across the country this week, and last week it paused outgoing federal grant and loan money so that the expenditures could be reviewed. The latter move was blocked by a federal judge.

California state lawmakers convened a special session Dec. 2, 2024, in an effort to “Trump-proof” the state before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Gov. Gavin Newsom postponed the session on Jan. 14 amid the destructive and deadly Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County.

Newsom is expected to sign the legislation once it is passed by the Senate, where Democrats have a supermajority. Before he paused the special session, Newsom promised to take action against Trump “when lives are threatened and freedoms are targeted.”

“California is a tent pole of the country—from the innovation to protecting and investing in rights and freedoms for all people,” Newsom said in a statement on Dec. 2.

The first bill passed Monday, SBX1-1, would amend the 2024 budget to include giving $25 million to the state’s Department of Justice to sue the federal government if it withholds emergency aid.

The second bill, if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, would provide $25 million for “Californians and immigrant communities” for legal assistance. The funds would pay to provide free legal services for “especially vulnerable” residents, including veterans, disabled people, unhoused youth, anyone facing eviction, seniors, and victims of domestic violence, wage theft, and human trafficking.

Republican Minority Leader Assemblyman James Gallagher speaks to the Legislature on Aug. 31 in Sacramento. Gallagher on Feb. 3 questioned the priorities of the Democratic majority  after the Assembly approved funding to "Trump-proof" the state. (Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times)

The legislation would not be used for legal services to defend anyone convicted of a violent or serious felony, according to Assembly Democrats.

“Here in California we are focused on results,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas in a statement Monday.

California’s Democratic leadership is experienced in filing lawsuits against Trump. During the president’s first term, the state sued the administration 123 times between 2017 and 2021 and spent $10 million a year to fund the efforts, according to reports by CalMatters.

The state also passed the California Values Act in 2018, prohibiting state and local resources from being used to assist federal immigration enforcement.

Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher criticized the Democrats on their priorities in a social media post on Monday.

“Note to CA Dem legislators: authorizing $25 million of our taxpayer money to pay lawyers to sue Donald Trump is not tackling affordability and it does nothing to protect us from wildfire. Priorities,” Gallagher wrote on social media platform X.