In a significant legal move, New York Attorney General Letitia James initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, alleging unlawful and dangerous public health funding cuts, Fox News reported.
Twenty state attorneys general have united to contest these potentially disastrous changes to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), claiming numerous legal and regulatory violations.
Letitia James has emerged as a critical opponent of the Trump administration's recent actions affecting public health services. Supporting James in this challenge is a coalition of attorneys general representing 20 states and the District of Columbia. This legal action targets considerable reductions in funding and staff at HHS, decisions reportedly putting millions of Americans' health at risk.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, accuses the Trump administration of violating hundreds of laws by conducting mass layoffs and consolidating essential health services. The cuts include the dismissal of 20,000 HHS employees, with 10,000 full-time workers already terminated. The restructuring reduced 28 federal agencies to 15, including closing five of HHS's 10 regional offices.
James describes these measures as a "sweeping and unlawful assault on public health.” According to the lawsuit, actions portrayed as government streamlining are, in fact, sabotage. Specific health services affected include maternal health at the CDC, mental health, substance abuse programs, and significant reductions to SNAP and Medicaid eligibility services.
Particularly alarming for public health is the suspension of many measles testing programs amid an ongoing outbreak, posing further risks to community health. James voices concerns about the drastic impact these cuts have on life-saving health interventions and programs.
The lawsuit further highlights the closure of many vital HHS functions, including the removal of the CDC's entire maternal health wing. Despite these severe cuts, New York’s Wadsworth Center remains one of the few capable of testing for rare infectious diseases, underscoring the critical gaps left by reduced CDC capacity.
More than just budgetary concerns, the plaintiffs argue these cuts offer minimal financial savings. They contend that dismissing 25% of HHS employees would reduce expenditures by less than one percent, labeling the entire exercise both unnecessary and dangerous. These actions occur despite Congress maintaining, or even increasing, HHS funding.
The lawsuit calls for “declaratory and injunctive relief," demanding the court halt these changes, stop the mass firings, and restore the public health programs Americans rely on.
Letitia James has a history of challenging actions by the Trump administration, but these cuts to crucial health services might be her most ambitious effort yet. Her strong statements emphasize the stakes, noting the unprecedented nature of these government actions. She stresses that firing experts and closing critical programs endangers countless lives.
The plaintiffs argue that these moves are not only unwise but also directly subvert Congress’s budgeting authority by violating federal laws. This legal challenge asserts that the actions are both cruel and illegal, undermining the efficacy and dismantling the HHS structure.
In summary, these legal proceedings highlight the necessity of maintaining a robust public health infrastructure, especially amid developing public health threats such as the measles outbreak. James's suit seeks to bring attention to and rectify this dismantling of federal health support systems.
Public health experts have also emerged in support of the lawsuit, noting potential repercussions of sidelining thousands of trained professionals tasked with safeguarding public health. Concerns are particularly raised about the delayed responses to public health crises, including infectious disease tracking and prevention.
James emphasizes the urgency by stating, "This is not how government is supposed to work," and calls out the measures as "dangerous" and "illegal." The action aims to emphasize the federal government's responsibilities to uphold public welfare.
This lawsuit follows months of controversial HHS management, with layoffs announced in March and April targeting key agencies like the FDA, CDC, and NIH. As legal proceedings continue, questions persist about the long-term implications for national health policy and infrastructure.
