The lawsuit, filed in partnership with several national labor unions and local governments, challenges the legality of the Trump administration’s abrupt restructuring plan that has already triggered massive layoffs and could potentially shutter Social Security field offices across the country — including in Harris County.

“This isn’t just a legal fight,” said Menefee. “It’s a fight for the seniors who depend on Social Security, the families who rely on federal disaster response, and the public servants who’ve dedicated their careers to keeping our communities safe and supported.”

According to official figures cited by county officials, over 120,000 federal workers have already been fired or laid off in just the first three months of Trump’s current term — a number that eclipses job losses in any other sector and raises alarms as hurricane season nears. The layoffs are not only dismantling critical public services, but they’re also destabilizing emergency management operations and threatening public health initiatives.

Judge Lina Hidalgo emphasized the local implications:

“We cannot afford to lose boots on the ground — not when our region is vulnerable to storms, not when our seniors need access to Social Security, and not when our children need public health protections. This is about putting people over politics.”

The lawsuit is just the latest in a growing wave of legal actions taken by Harris County to challenge Trump-era policies that many local leaders believe are designed to erode public trust, cripple local services, and disproportionately harm diverse communities like Houston.

Both Hidalgo and Menefee have become widely recognized for standing at the legal and moral frontlines of local governance, defending everything from voting rights to pandemic response to funding for underserved communities. Menefee, the youngest and first African American elected Harris County Attorney, has repeatedly warned about the long-term damage of undermining civil service institutions.

“This isn’t about partisan politics,” Menefee added. “It’s about protecting democracy at the local level. When the federal government stops doing its job, Harris County steps up.”

The press conference also highlighted recent county lawsuits aimed at preserving critical public health funding and opposing harmful federal rollbacks that jeopardize environmental safeguards and educational equity.

As Harris County positions itself as a national leader in defending communities from federal overreach, one message rang loud and clear at Tuesday’s press event: Houston will not back down.