US health secretary, department sued by 23 states, DC over funding cut
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The lawsuit, filed in Rhode Island, says that the funding cuts pose a serious risk to public health, and claims the funding cut violates a federal statute.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives before Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin and President Donald Trump speak during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on March 12, 2025. (AP)
23 states and the District of Columbia are suing the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr over the sudden cessation of billions in funding.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Rhode Island on Thursday, states that in March 2025, the HHS abruptly terminated a broad range of grants that had been funding immunizations, infectious disease monitoring, and mental health and substance abuse programs.
The federal government justifies these cuts by asserting that the funds, deemed “no longer necessary,” had served a “limited purpose” that had concluded alongside the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These termination notices and substantially similar subsequent notices immediately triggered chaos for State and local health jurisdictions,” the lawsuit stated, adding that “If the funding is not restored, key public health programs and initiatives that address ongoing and emerging public health needs of Plaintiffs will have to be dissolved or disbanded."
“The result of these massive, unexpected funding terminations is serious harm to public health," the lawsuit highlights.
Arguing that the justifications for the funding cuts were legally flawed and that the cuts both violate federal law and endanger public health, the lawsuit asserts that the terminated grants were designed to support broader public health initiatives extending beyond the pandemic. The lawsuit also emphasized that Congress never mandated the funds to be used exclusively within the timeframe of the pandemic.
“The Trump administration’s illegal and irresponsible decision to claw back life-saving health funding is an attack on the well-being of millions of Americans,” New York attorney Letitia James stated, adding that “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.”
Accusing the HHS of violating the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal statute that regulates administrative law procedures, the plaintiffs argue that the HHS failed to issue notice or conduct individualized assessments while also neglecting the extent to which states depended on the funding.
RFK Jr. announces HHS downsizing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the nation’s health agencies would see a reduction of 10,000 positions from their 82,000-person workforce on March 27, a significant cut that, despite internal opposition to the administration’s objective, was characterized by the US health secretary as an effort to shrink federal bureaucracy.
The staff cut comes as part of Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to dismantle federal agencies as part of a broader initiative to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, with significant cuts affecting health agencies in particular.
In his statement, RFK Jr. also addressed internal resistance to the restructuring within the Department of Health and Human Services, stating, "In one case, defiant bureaucrats impeded the secretary's office from accessing the closely guarded databases that might reveal the dangers of certain drugs and medical interventions," though he did not specify which databases or medical treatments were involved.
