Coalition of AGs sues Trump administration over health program cuts
A coalition of attorneys general has filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the agency he leads to halt mass layoffs and reverse the reorganization under the Trump administration's 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative. (Photo by)
Twenty attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island in Providence to stop U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the agency he leads from dismantling key public health programs.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha is one of three co-leaders challenging the Trump administration's mass layoff of 10,000 HHS employees under its 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative. The 101-page complaint claims the mass layoff has left HHS unable to perform its statutory functions of protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of Americans.
The other co-leaders are New York Attorney General Letitia James and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown. They are joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
After termination notices went out to HHS employees on April 1, the complaint states employees were immediately expelled from their work email, laptops, and offices. Five of HHS's 10 regional offices were closed, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle.
'There was no one to answer the phone, factories went into shutdown mode, experiments were abandoned, trainings were cancelled, site visits were postponed, application portals were closed, laboratories stopped testing for infectious diseases such as hepatitis, and partnerships were immediately suspended,' the complaint states.
As a result, the Food and Drug Administration missed a vaccine application deadline and canceled a critical test for the bird flu virus. The World Trade Center Health Program had no doctors to certify new illnesses for coverage, a necessary part of caring for the responders and survivors of the 9/11 attacks under the Zadroga Act. Programs aimed at monitoring maternal and newborn health were shuttered. Office closures and layoffs at Head Start and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program left grantees 'abandoned with no one to answer their questions.' The World Trade Center Health Program had no doctors to certify new illnesses for coverage, a necessary part of caring for the responders and survivors of the 9/11 attacks. Programs aimed at monitoring maternal and newborn health were abruptly shuttered.
'Americans across the country are already experiencing the detrimental effects of this attack on HHS including new mothers, workers, 9/11 first responders, and those suffering from mental illness and substance use disorder,' Neronha said in a statement. 'Think about that for a minute: American heroes, pregnant women, workers, those in need of mental health treatment; all left to fend for themselves by these reckless cuts. This attack on HHS tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of this Administration; and they don't include the health of you or your family.'
Rhode Island has already lost over $1.9 million in grants, staff, programs and data, according to Neronha's office, and stands to lose more in grants, staff, programs, and data. State health programs and initiatives already eliminated or negatively impacted without the support of HHS funding and staff include maternal mortality studies and prevention; treatment for nicotine and alcohol addiction; air quality monitoring.
The 20 attorneys general argue that the sweeping actions at HHS violated hundreds of federal statutes and regulations. They argued that by taking these actions without congressional approval, the administration disregarded the constitutional separation of powers and undermined the laws and budgets enacted by Congress.
The coalition is asking the court to halt the mass firings, reverse the illegal reorganization, and restore the critical health services serving millions of Americans.
The case has been assigned to District Judge Melissa R. DuBose and Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan.
Neronha also joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing an April 1 lawsuit in Providence federal court against Kennedy and the Trump administration for abruptly and unlawfully slashing billions of dollars in vital state health funding. District Judge Mary S. McElroy issued a temporary restraining order against the administration on April 5, temporarily reinstating the funding.
This article was first published by Rhode Island Current, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com.
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