Five states are taking the Trump administration to court over what they say is the illegal withholding of billions of dollars in federal safety net funding—money meant to help low-income families, children, and people with disabilities.

WHAT’S GOING ON: The attorneys general of California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut filed a lawsuit alleging the administration is unlawfully blocking congressionally approved funds for critical social programs. We’re talking about money for Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), child care assistance, and other programs that millions of Americans depend on to survive.

The states argue that the administration doesn’t get to just decide not to spend money that Congress has already allocated.

That’s not how any of this works—at least not legally.

WHY IT MATTERS: This isn’t some abstract budget dispute. These are funds that directly impact whether families can afford groceries, whether kids have access to health care, and whether people with disabilities can get the support they need. When the federal government plays games with this money, real people go hungry and real children go without medical care.

The lawsuit is also part of a larger pattern. The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to use federal funding as a weapon—withholding money from states and cities that don’t fall in line with its policy preferences. Courts have blocked several of these attempts, but the administration keeps trying.

BOTTOM LINE: Congress controls the purse strings. That’s Constitutional Law 101. When an administration decides to just… not distribute money that’s already been appropriated, it’s not fiscal responsibility—it’s an illegal power grab that hurts the most vulnerable people in the country. These five states are betting the courts will see it that way too.