Testimony by: Muriel Goode-Trufant, Esq., Corporation Counsel of the City of New York New York City Law Department

November 20, 2025

New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation

Testimony by:
Muriel Goode-Trufant, Esq., Corporation Counsel of the City of New York New York City Law Department

Oversight Hearing -- Protecting New York City from Federal Overreach November 20, 2025

Thank you for this opportunity to inform the Council about actions the New York City Law Department has taken to defend the City's programs, policies and laws from federal overreach.

Since January 20, 2025, the Trump Administration has issued a series of executive orders, policy documents and notices impacting federal spending programs, including notices terminating federal funds payable to the City and City-related entities, such as the New York City Public Schools. The Trump Administration has also taken numerous citizenship and immigration-related actions that impact New Yorkers, from seeking to end birthright citizenship and protected immigration statuses to detaining New York City school students.

The Law Department has coordinated the City's response to all these actions. The Law Department has participated in over thirty-five (35) legal proceedings against the federal government. In some of these cases, we have directly sued the Trump Administration for actions taken to terminate federal funding or condition such funding on compliance with the Trump Administration's policy priorities. Recently, in one such lawsuit, we have sought the rescission of a decision discontinuing grants for millions of federal dollars that support nineteen (19) New York City Public Schools' magnet programs. In other cases, we have intervened to ensure that the City's interests remain protected or joined coalitions of other cities and states to streamline our litigation efforts. We have also filed almost two dozen amicus briefs in cases, where the City's interests were not directly implicated but where it was important for the City's voice to be heard. For example, the Law Department has submitted briefs supporting the habeas petitions of several students who were detained by federal immigration officials in locations of civic interest, including courts, schools, and churches. And where the federal government challenged the City directly-namely, its current lawsuit seeking to invalidate our sanctuary city laws-we are vigorously defending the City's laws and its right not to be conscripted into the federal government's immigration agenda.

But litigation is not our sole recourse to federal overreach.

We also have submitted formal comments to various federal agencies advising against actions that would hurt New Yorkers, such as the U.S. Department of Education's attempt to limit eligibility to the federal Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recent guidance to restrict the provision of public benefits to non-citizens.

Furthermore, in June the Law Department established a new unit within our Executive Division, the Executive Litigation and Policy Group. This team, which the Law Department is currently expanding, is a cohort of lawyers engaged in research, litigation, and counseling matters related to the federal government's aggressive use of its levers of power. This unit also coordinates with other divisions within the Law Department. Additionally, the Law Department coordinates with other municipal law offices from around the country as well as with the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York to ensure New Yorkers' interests are represented.

We look forward to coordinating with the City Council in pursuing our shared goal of protecting the City from federal overreach.