Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is intervening in three federal cases to protect policies that might be vulnerable under President Donald Trump, Healey announced today on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio.
“Already we had three instances today where my office has taken action against Trump,” she said. “We need to make sure that we do everything we can to uphold the law.”
The three cases involve accreditation for for-profit colleges, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and greenhouse gas emissions from heavy trucks, respectively.
In the first case, Healey’s office filed an action to prevent the growth of predatory for-profit colleges.
She said she hopes to uphold the Obama administration’s termination of an agency that was giving accreditation to predatory schools like Corinthian Colleges and “the Trump Universities of the world.”
“My office filed action because in a Trump administration, I don’t want to see us go backward and see that undone. I want to make sure that protection is preserved,” said Healey.
The attorney general’s office also moved to maintain the independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The office intervened in a case that would lessen restrictions on the president, allowing him or her to remove the director of the CFPB.
Healey said the Obama administration worked to protect the strength of the agency, and her office hoped to continue those efforts to keep the bureau independent.
“Donald Trump has made clear that he wants to work to dismantle that agency. We intervened as a state to stand up and defend the CFPB,” she said. “We filed action because we want to be there to defend the CFPB against an administration that my look to undo it.”
Finally, Healey stepped in to argue against changing EPA emission standards.
Her motion aimed to preserve federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and engines.
Healey said she looks to keep the emissions standards already established by the Obama administration, saying she has concerns “based on what happened yesterday where Donald Trump gutted the EPA's budget.”
“We filed suit because we want to preserve and defend that regulation,” said Healey.
She made clear that the office of the attorney general plans to continue bringing President Trump to court if he acts outside of his legal rights.
“I think that there may be any number of ways that we’re going to be involved in litigation,” said Healey.
The three cases also feature interventions by other states.
Four states and the District of Columbia motioned to support the Obama administration’s termination of the accreditation body, the ACICS, 16 other state attorneys general intervened in the case regarding the CFPB, and seven joined Healey in her motion to maintain federal greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy trucks.
To hear Attorney General Maura Healey’s interview in its entirety, click on the audio link above.
