President Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of executive orders since taking office last month — sparking numerous legal battles in Oregon and across the U.S.
Democrats Gov. Tina Kotek and newly elected Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield have vowed to resist Trump’s changes on everything from health care to immigration, and in recent days they’ve joined attorneys general from numerous states to sue the Trump administration over five directives.
But with the headlines flickering so quickly, it can be tough to keep up. Here’s a list of all lawsuits filed by Oregon officials since Trump took office.
Trump demands National Institutes of Health stop covering hospitals’ indirect costs
Oregon and 21 other states sued Monday to block Trump’s order drastically slashing the amount of National Institutes of Health research funding that hospitals can use to cover overhead costs.
Oregon Health & Science University, which received $277 million last fiscal year, said the new 15% cap would be disastrous, as the grants don’t cover the true cost of cutting-edge research when accounting for support staff and facility maintenance.
OHSU is hardly flush with cash these days as it seeks to merge with Legacy Health, another Portland area hospital system.
Status: District of Massachusetts Federal Judge Angel Kelley has issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump’s funding cut ahead of a full hearing Feb. 21.
Department of Government Efficiency probes U.S. Treasury databanks
Oregon is one of 19 states challenging the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, and his specially created Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department databases containing all citizens’ Social Security numbers and bank account information.
“The Treasury is the backbone of our economic stability, and any unauthorized access could result in catastrophic consequences for all Americans,” Rayfield said in a statement.
The Treasury uses that data to distribute tax refunds, Social Security and veterans’ benefits, among other things. Rayfield and others claim Musk could use the data to block payments to federal employees.
Status: Southern District of New York Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer has ordered Musk to destroy any copies of Treasury records and blocked his access pending a hearing Friday.
Refugee resettlement blocked by Trump’s decree
Local nonprofit Lutheran Community Services on Monday joined a lawsuit challenging Trump’s order to stop the resettlement of refugees across the U.S.
Lutheran Services chief officer in the northwest, David Duea, says the religious group has been offering safe harbor to those fleeing strife and war torn conditions in their home countries since World War II.
“This is the first time a president has shut down the system without notice, abandoning thousands of families who’d received invitations to start new lives,” he said in a statement.
Status: Seattle federal Judge Jamal Whitehead has not ruled on the suit as of Tuesday.
Trump cuts off funding to hospitals providing gender-affirming health care
Rayfield, three physicians and Washington and Minnesota attorneys general sued the Trump Administration Feb. 7 over a presidential order cutting off federal funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming health care.
The suit argues that Trump’s order violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law by discriminating against transgender people.
“We need to let doctors do their jobs, and let patients and families make their own private decisions, rather than the federal government,” said Basic Rights Oregon leader Kyndall Mason in a statement.
Status: Rayfield and others are seeking a temporary restraining order. Western District of Washington Federal Judge Lauren King has set a hearing on the matter for Friday.
Ban on Constitutional principle of birthright citizenship ordered by Trump
In one of several lawsuits to challenge President Trump’s sweeping order to ban birthright citizenship, Rayfield joined with attorneys general from three other states.
The legal principle, which has been the law of the land for 150 years, says that anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen.
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, says “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
Status: Western District of Washington Federal Judge John Coughenour has blocked Trump’s order. Another federal judge in Maryland also sided against Trump. Trump’s administration is appealing to the Ninth Circuit and hopes to block Coughenour’s ruling during the appeal process.
President seeks unconditional ban on Budget Office funding
Oregon, 21 other states and the District of Columbia sued Trump after the president told the Office of Management & Budget to issue a blanket freeze of federal grants and loans.
Federal funding touches everything from food stamps to Medicare, plus Head Start and various police initiatives.
Status: President Trump rescinded the memo Jan. 31, and hours later District of Rhode Island Federal Judge John McConnell issued a separate restraining order blocking Trump’s memorandum. Trump is appealing to the First Circuit and also seeks a stay of the judge’s decision.
—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.
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