SAINT PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed another lawsuit against the Trump administration, this time against proposed rule changes to obtaining insurance. The suit was filed by more than a dozen other state Attorneys General in the Massachusetts District Court.
It’s at least the 30th lawsuit filed by Ellison’s office against the Trump administration so far, continuing a barrage of legal action against the president and various federal agencies.
“It’s a final rule that the Trump administration has pushed through, and it’s going to reduce people’s health care access,” Ellison said about the latest litigation.
The target of the new lawsuit is a final rule from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would make changes to federal and state health insurance marketplaces. Ellison says it would specifically impact those receiving care under the Affordable Care Act.
Ellison’s office claims that the rule is “arbitrary and capricious” and that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
“Under the Administrative Procedures Act, there are certain ways that these administrative agencies must operate,” Ellison said. “There has to be notice and comment so that people can give their input on the rule changes.”
Ellison says the rule change goes outside the bounds of executive authority.
The Attorney General has filed nearly three dozen other lawsuits against Trump since he took office in January. According to Ellison, most of them share a common thesis:
“[He’s] taking over the authority of the Congress, taking over the authority of the courts, ignoring courts, and trying to rule the country through executive order and executive action exclusively,” Ellison said.
While Ellison — alongside many other Democratic Attorneys General across the country — feels that the president has overstepped his authority as a member of the Executive Branch, some disagree.
“What [the Trump administration] has been doing is trying to right the balance in many cases, in terms of the separation of powers, and the authority of the executive branch,” Founder and President of the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) Doug Seaton said.
In recent years, the UMLC has sparred with Ellison on more than one occasion, often representing the opposite side in various cases at the Minnesota Supreme Court.
He feels that the Minnesota AG’s recent actions have been motivated primarily by politics.
“15 years ago, you never heard of these kinds of lawsuits,” Seaton said. “So, I believe it’s a mistake. It’s a very partisan behavior. It’s a waste of taxpayer resources in Minnesota.”
Still, Ellison insists his suits are grounded in reality. While the DFL Attorney General says he vehemently disagrees with the president on most policies, he claims he wouldn’t be suing the administration if he felt they were following the rules.
“He’s saying, skip all [the checks and balances]. I’m just doing it by executive order. And so, he’s not just doing things that, personally, I think are bad for the American people. He’s doing them in an unconstitutional manner,” Ellison said.
Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash issued a statement on Friday’s litigation, calling the AG’s latest lawsuit a misrepresentation of the administration’s rule changes.
“Keith Ellison is once again doing what he does best — fearmongering, suing, and misrepresenting common-sense reforms as attacks. The Trump administration is focused on reducing fraud, restoring choice, and improving the long-term sustainability of our health care system. Minnesotans deserve transparency, accountability, and efficiency — not bloated bureaucracy and unchecked spending.
Let’s not forget: under Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison, Minnesotans have watched billions disappear into fraud and waste — from Feeding Our Future to Medicaid housing scams. And now they’re pretending that asking for basic verification or accountability in ACA enrollment is somehow a catastrophe. It’s not. It’s responsible governance.”
While the DFL is busy protecting bureaucracy, the Trump administration and our Republican delegation are focused on making health care work for taxpayers — not for fraudsters. If the Walz-Ellison team was this aggressive about stopping Medicaid abuse in our own backyard, Minnesota wouldn’t be a national punchline for government mismanagement.”
Calling these reforms an ‘attack’ is dishonest and divisive. Verifying eligibility, ensuring state-federal cooperation, and protecting the role of the states in managing their own health care systems are not ‘radical’ ideas — they’re common sense. The real attack is on truth and accountability, and it’s coming from Ellison and his DFL allies.”
Copyright 2025 KTTC. All rights reserved.
link