PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is joining a coalition of other state attorneys general in a lawsuit against the Department of Government Efficiency against mass layoffs they are conducting.
“These mass firings aren’t about performance—they’re about politics and ideology,” said Attorney General Mayes. “The Trump administration’s actions are reckless and illegal. Just yesterday, I heard from veterans, educators, and community leaders who are deeply concerned about how these terminations will disrupt families and critical services in Arizona. I will keep fighting to hold the Trump administration accountable and ensure they follow the law.”
DOGE, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is spearheading the Trump administration's efforts to drastically reduce the size of the federal government through mass terminations and layoffs of federal employees, along with freezing previously approved grants and contracts and terminating leases for federal offices.
In the lawsuit, the coalition of attorneys general asserts that the administration was therefore required to follow federal laws and regulations that govern large-scale federal “Reductions in Force” (RIF). These critical protections ensure that personnel such as military veterans are given preference in retaining their jobs, the suit says.
Attorney General Mayes joins the attorneys general of Maryland, Minnesota, the District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
