23 Democratic states sue Trump Administration over $11 billion health funding cuts

A coalition of Democratic-led states has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to challenge its decision to cancel $11 billion in federal grants that had been allocated to states during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday (April 1) in federal court in Rhode Island, argues that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lacked the authority to unilaterally rescind the funds after states had already used them to build critical health programs.

Attorneys general and governors from 23 states and the District of Columbia are part of the legal action, asserting that the grants were vital for maintaining public health initiatives related to infectious disease control, mental health, and addiction treatment.

“These funds were essential in combating diseases like measles and bird flu, and were used for mental health services and addiction recovery programs,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, one of the plaintiffs in the case.

Background of the funding cuts

The funds in question were primarily allocated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for pandemic preparedness, overdose prevention, addiction treatment, and suicide prevention. The states argue that cutting these resources now, after they were already in use, would disrupt essential public health initiatives that have been built around the funding.

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who heads HHS, oversaw the funding cuts. In a statement, the department justified the decision by saying that the funds were initially used for COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and other pandemic responses. “The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” the department said last week.

Restructuring within Health dept

The cancellation of the grants comes amid a broader restructuring within the US Department of Health and Human Services. In addition to the funding cuts, the department has also initiated a round of 10,000 layoffs. Federal health officials announced these staffing cuts on Tuesday, as part of the administration's effort to streamline operations and reduce spending.