William Tong

Attorney General Tong Challenges Federal Rule Limiting Student Loans for Professional Degrees

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OVER STUDENT LOAN RULE LIMITING ACCESS TO STUDENT LOANS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGRAMS Coalition challenges unlawful rule that could restrict access to advanced education and worsen workforce shortages (Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over a new rule that unlawfully limits access to federal student loans for students pursuing professional degree programs, including many healthcare and other critical workforce fields. The lawsuit challenges a recently finalized Department of Education rule that narrows the federal definition of “professional degree” and imposes restrictions Congress did not authorize. The coalition argues the rule unlawfully excludes many degree programs…

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Attorney General Tong Announces Court Ruling Against Federal Tariffs

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ILLEGAL TARIFFS Court of International Trade Invalidates Tariffs that are Increasing Prices and Inflicting Chaos on the American Economy Following Lawsuit Filed by 24 States (Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong yesterday secured an order invalidating President Trump’s latest efforts to impose illegal tariffs on products purchased by American consumers and businesses. A federal court granted summary judgment in the lawsuit filed March 5 by 24 states, including Connecticut. “We just beat Donald Trump for the second time in the Court of International Trade to stop his illegal tariffs from inflicting needless chaos and costs on American families. We sued to block his first round of lawless tariffs and won 6-3…

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Sephora Agrees to Safeguards on Anti-Aging Products for Kids After CT Investigation

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES SEPHORA TO ADOPT SAFEGUARDS REGARDING MARKETING OF ANTI-AGING SKINCARE PRODUCTS TO KIDS FOLLOWING CONNECTICUT INVESTIGATION (Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today announced that Sephora has adopted new safeguards regarding marketing of anti-aging skincare products to kids, resolving an investigation by the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. In November 2024, Attorney General Tong sent a letter to beauty retailer Sephora regarding the company’s marketing and promotion of anti-aging products to children. The letter noted that many of these anti-aging products contain active ingredients, including retinol and other acids, that are often unsuitable for—and potentially even harmful—to children’s skin. Despite this, social media is rife with influencer content targeting young users suggesting such products will…

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Connecticut Attorney General Joins Multi-State Lawsuit Challenging Federal Election Order

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER UNLAWFUL EXECUTIVE ORDER ATTEMPTING TO EXERT FEDERAL CONTROL OVER ELECTIONS Executive Order Threatens to Disenfranchise Eligible Voters and Violates States’ Authority to Administer Elections (Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and one governor in suing President Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenging his Executive Order that attempts to interfere with states’ authority to administer elections by restricting voter eligibility and mail voting to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government. On March 31, President Trump signed an Executive Order attempting to establish a national list of eligible voters and directing the U.S. Postal Service, an independent federal…

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ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG CHALLENGES ROLLBACK OF LIMITS ON DANGEROUS EMISSIONS OF MERCURY AND OTHER HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM POWER PLANTS

(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of # states and local governments in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule and reversion to outdated standards that harm the environment and public health. The MATS Rule implements nationwide standards that limit emissions of toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants, including mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals, in addition to acid gases, such as hydrogen chloride and formaldehyde. In 2024, following significant developments in the technologies used to control pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated the standards for emissions of these hazardous air pollutants from power plants. Last month, the Trump administration rolled back…

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Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announcing support for genetic privacy legislation following a major data breach.

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GENETIC PRIVACY LEGISLATION

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today submitted testimony in support of An Act Concerning Direct to Consumer Genetic Testing, legislation proposed by his office to give Connecticut residents exclusive control over their DNA and genetic data. The proposed legislation draws lessons from Attorney General Tong’s investigation into the theft of genetic information from 23andMe and the company’s subsequent bankruptcy. The company had gathered the DNA of over 15 million people before a threat actor stole records from over six million 23andMe customers. Bad actors used that genetic data to target people of Jewish and Chinese descent, to threaten disclosure of genetic ancestry information of celebrities and world leaders, to create applications to block visitors to websites based on race and ethnic origin, and…

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