State attorneys general sue Trump administration over $12 billion in HHS cuts – Washington Examiner
A coalition of Democratic governors and attorneys general from 23 states and the District of columbia has filed a lawsuit against the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.over significant cuts to public health funding, totaling $12 billion. The lawsuit primarily addresses an $11.4 billion reduction in funding allocated to state and community health departments by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the COVID-19 response, along with an additional $1 billion cut from the Substance Abuse and mental Health Services Administration.
State officials argue that the cuts threaten progress in addressing the opioid crisis and destabilize mental health services. According to New York Attorney General Letitia James, failing to halt these cuts could lead to a potential loss of $400 million for New York. The lawsuit claims that the federal government has not provided adequate justification for these funding cuts, which they contend will harm public health and increase vulnerability to future pandemics and preventable diseases.
HHS maintains that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and justifies the cuts as a necessary cessation of funding for a non-existent pandemic.This lawsuit adds to the multitude of legal challenges facing Trump’s administration, with over 100 lawsuits filed thus far.
State attorneys general sue Trump administration over $12 billion in HHS cuts
A coalition of Democratic governors and attorneys general in 23 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for the department’s cuts of $12 billion in public health funding.
At the center of that is a cut of $11.4 billion from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allocated to state and community health departments during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The CDC said they expect to begin recovering the funds in around 30 days, according to HHS.
The states argue that although these cut funds were allocated during the pandemic, they were not intended only for response to COVID-19. There is an additional $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that was also terminated, according to the attorneys general.
“Slashing this funding now will reverse our progress on the opioid crisis, throw our mental health systems into chaos, and leave hospitals struggling to care for patients,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a press release. New York could lose $400 million if the lawsuit does not halt the cuts.
The attorneys general filed the suit in federal court in Rhode Island. They include James, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, and Govs. Andy Beshear (D-KY) and Josh Shapiro (D-PA).
The lawsuit additionally argues that the cuts are illegal, saying that the federal government did not provide “rational basis” or factual reasons to support the cuts. They said it will result in “serious harm to public health” and put states “at greater risk for future pandemics and the spread of otherwise preventable disease and cutting off vital public health services.”
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HHS said in a statement last week that “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.”
This lawsuit stands as the latest litigation against President Donald Trump’s administration. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed against the administration, with dozens so far putting a stop to the administration’s work.
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