Attorneys general from five states led by Democrats have initiated legal action against the Trump administration following its decision to withhold funds meant for various public assistance programs.

The administration, under President Donald Trump, has expressed concerns about potential fraud within these programs, which are aimed at supporting families with low incomes. In response, the states of California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York have jointly filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

This legal challenge seeks a court mandate to compel the administration to disburse the withheld funds. The attorneys general argue that the suspension of these funds represents an unconstitutional overreach of authority.

In related news:

President Trump has raised questions regarding the common trend of a president’s party losing seats during midterm elections.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring was likely modest in December to end a year of weak job growth

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.