State Attorneys General & Your Wallet
How State Attorneys General Can Help Lower Costs and Protect Residents from Financial Harm
State Attorneys General (State AGs) are the chief legal officers for their states. They protect the rights of the people who live in their state and uphold the U.S. Constitution. In most states, the Attorney General is elected by the people. In some states, the Attorney General is appointed.
The work of a State AG can directly impact the rights and well being of the people they serve, including protecting their financial and economic interests. In short, through the power of their office, State AGs can take actions that lower costs for consumers and protect individuals and families from financial harm.
Scroll through the page below to learn more about some of the ways State AGs can protect your wallet:
As your state’s chief legal officer, State AGs can file lawsuits against the federal government if they feel the federal government has done something illegal or harmful to their residents. In 2026, 12 State AGs helped to land a victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, after filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for imposing tariffs on imported goods using a loophole meant for national emergencies.
Tariffs are essentially taxes, which normally can only be imposed by Congress. The State AGs argued that the Trump Administration didn’t have the legal authority to impose these taxes and they argued that this illegal action could cause severe economic harm to their states. The Trump Administration argued that the President is authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to regulate importation, which would include imposing tariffs during times of national emergency.
According to a nonpartisan analysis by the Tax Foundation, the Trump Administration’s tariffs in 2025 cost each American family roughly $1,000. Had the tariffs continued in 2026, they were projected to cost families another $1,300.
On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration, ruling their tariffs illegal.
Another way State AGs can protect residents is by using their office to make sure funding that Congress has allocated to the states is benefiting state residents.
In Fall of 2025, the Trump Administration suspended SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits during a federal government shutdown. These benefits are approved by Congress and help lower-income families buy groceries and access healthy food. According to a 2023 analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 40% of SNAP participants are children.
Twenty-three State AGs and three governors filed a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that congressionally-approved emergency funds already existed to ensure at least partial coverage could continue during the shutdown.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wrote, “Emergency funding exists for exactly this kind of crisis. If the reality of 42 million Americans going hungry, including 1.4 million Michiganders, isn’t an emergency, I don’t know what is. It is cruel, inhumane, and illegal to hold back emergency reserves while families struggle to put food on the table.” The Trump administration argued it did not have enough funds to pay the benefits due to the government shutdown, and lacked legal authority to use emergency funding sources.
A U.S District Judge ruled in favor of the State AGs’ case, saying that the U.S. Department of Agriculture must use its emergency funds to keep SNAP going for eligible participants during the shutdown.
State AGs can investigate and pursue legal actions against people or businesses committing scams, fraud, or price gouging against residents of their state. Many State AGs also lead educational campaigns to help individuals identify scams and fraud before they become a victim of one.
In June of 2025, a bipartisan group of 42 State AGs called on Meta — the umbrella company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — to crack down on fraudulent investment ads that were scamming people out of millions of dollars.
“Thousands of Facebook users have lost hundreds of millions of dollars to these scams and Meta must do more to stop these fraudulent ads from running on its platforms,” New York Attorney General Tish James said.
Other examples of State AGs protecting residents from scams, fraud, and price gouging include:
According to the National Association of Consumer Advocates, predatory lending “is any lending practice that uses deceptive or unethical means to convince you to accept a loan under unfair terms or to accept a loan that you don’t actually need.” These lenders tend to target minority communities, seniors, and lower income individuals.
State AGs can use the power of their office to investigate and prosecute predatory lenders who are harming people in their state. In March 2026, a bipartisan group of 13 State AGs sued OneMain Financial for making deceptive claims about their loans and loan requirements. The State AGs argued that these deceptive practices led to greater costs and debt for borrowers.
More examples of State AGs taking on predatory lending practices include: