Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C., have filed a lawsuit challenging the restructuring of the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) agency, claiming that the extensive changes have dismantled crucial programs and transferred financial burdens for emerging health crises to the states.
The legal challenge was officially initiated in a federal court in Rhode Island on Monday, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James. Joining the lawsuit were attorneys general from several states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, alongside the District of Columbia.
The restructure, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was enacted in March and involved dissolving over 10,000 positions and consolidating 28 agencies into 15 under the HHS. This action, coupled with prior layoffs by President Donald Trumpโs administration, resulted in a significant reduction, with a quarter of the agencyโs workforce being cut overall.
In their complaint, the attorneys general accused Secretary Kennedy and the administration of depriving HHS of essential resources crucial for its operations in just the first few months since the changes were implemented.
Kennedy defended the changes by stating the goal was to enhance the efficiency of the countryโs public health agencies and remove unnecessary overlaps across different departments. This initiative was introduced under an administration directive termed โMake America Healthy Again.โ
The U.S. HHS stands as one of the federal governmentโs most expensive departments, with a budget nearing $1.7 trillion mostly devoted to health coverage for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
According to James, who spearheads the lawsuit, the restructuring represents an extensive and unlawful action that risks public safety. She described the move as neither a reform nor an efficiency measure at a recent press briefing.
Reported consequences of the workforce reduction include restricted laboratory testing capabilities for infectious diseases, halted cancer risk assessments for American firefighters, and uncertainty surrounding future funding for early childhood learning initiatives. Additionally, tracking programs focused on cancer and maternal health have been shuttered, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has faced setbacks in addressing a large measles outbreak, as the suit claims.
The attorneys assert that these disruptions were not accidental but rather part of the intended outcomes of the โMAHA Directive.โ They are asking the court to invalidate the directive, arguing the administration exceeded its authority by dismantling congressionally established programs and funding.
Dismantling also affected the team responsible for managing the federal poverty guidelines, which aid states in determining eligibility for Medicaid and nutrition assistance to other support programs. The tobacco prevention agency witnessed significant cutbacks, and considerable staff reductions occurred at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The Trump administration is facing various legal challenges concerning the budget cuts to public health entities and research bodies. Separately, a coalition of 23 states filed another federal lawsuit in Rhode Island, contesting a decision to slash $11 billion in federal funding allocated for COVID-19 efforts and diverse public health initiatives nationwide.