Federal judge temporarily blocks $11 billion in Trump administration's cuts to public health funding
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's move to cut over $11 billion in public health funding to states after 23 states and the District of Columbia sued to keep the funding intact.
The coalition of states sued the Health and Human Services Department and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing that the money is used for many "urgent public health needs," including tracking diseases, funding access to vaccines and mental health and addiction services, and improving health infrastructures. The attorneys general allege that the funding was "abruptly and arbitrarily terminated" on March 24.
The Trump administration has pointed to the easing of the public health threat posed by COVID-19 in justifying its move to cut off the funding, which was first offered to state and local health departments earlier during the public health emergency declared for the virus.
"Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out," the Trump administration told recipients of the grant funding.
"This massive and egregiously irresponsible cut of public health funding should put everyone on high alert to the depths this Administration is willing to go," Rhode Island's Attorney General Peter Neronha wrote in the initial complaint. The complaint, which was filed in Rhode Island, warned that if the funding is not resolved, "key public health programs and initiatives that address ongoing and emerging public health needs," run by the states will have to be "dissolved or disbanded."
Rhode Island was joined in the suit by Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C..
States have said that the Trump administration's abrupt end to the funding has disrupted health departments nationwide, blindsiding officials who had expected the funding to continue through the end of dates previously agreed-upon during the Biden administration.
In Arizona, the state's health department said the funding interruption had disrupted plans to update its disease surveillance system, after the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted overdue fixes that needed to be made.
"Failure to finalize this system may have dire consequences for disease surveillance and the public health infrastructure across the state and the 15 counties reliant on this system. The urgency for timely and effective data collection in the context of disease detection and response is paramount," the state's health department had said in a court filing.
Thursday's hearing was held in front of Judge Mary S. McElroy, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Trump during his first term.
In a statement on X after the hearing, New York Attorney General Letitia James pledged to continue the lawsuit and "fight to ensure states can provide the medical services Americans need."
CBS News has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
