Hawaii among Democratic-led states suing to block $11B health funding cut
STAR-ADVERTISER / SEPT. 13, 2024 Attorney General Anne Lopez has joined attorneys general and governors from 22 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against the Trump administration's cancellation of $11 billion in federal grants the states were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1 /2 STAR-ADVERTISER / SEPT. 13, 2024 Attorney General Anne Lopez has joined attorneys general and governors from 22 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against the Trump administration's cancellation of $11 billion in federal grants the states were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
LEAH MILLIS / REUTERS The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C., is seen in this photo from Thursday.
2 /2 LEAH MILLIS / REUTERS The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C., is seen in this photo from Thursday.
STAR-ADVERTISER / SEPT. 13, 2024 Attorney General Anne Lopez has joined attorneys general and governors from 22 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against the Trump administration's cancellation of $11 billion in federal grants the states were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
LEAH MILLIS / REUTERS The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C., is seen in this photo from Thursday.
A group of Democratic-led states, including Hawaii, today sued President Donald Trump's administration to challenge its cancellation of $11 billion in federal grants the states were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attorneys general and governors from 23 states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Rhode Island argue the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lacks the authority to unilaterally claw back funding the states had already built health programs around.
The grant funding was being used by states to track, prevent and control infectious diseases, including measles and bird flu, as well as track mental health services and fund addiction treatment.
The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General said in a news release today that the state could lose over $89 million from the grant terminations.
The federal grants fund Hawaii Department of Health contracts for data infrastructure and modernization, community support services, substance abuse prevention services, public health staff, and capital improvements and equipment upgrades for state labs on Oahu and Kauai, state officials said. Many of the contracts may have to be terminated if the money is not restored, they added.
'The HHS cuts threaten the urgent public health needs of Hawaii and other states around the country at a time when emerging disease threats—such as measles and bird flu—are on the rise, ' Gov. Josh Green said in the news release.
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Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez added, 'Congress made wide-ranging public health investments that support and protect community health programs, prepare states for future health threats and fund local partnerships with community health providers. Hawaii relied upon the federal government's legally binding obligations. Terminating hundreds of millions of dollars in in federal grants obligated to Hawaii that have already been appropriated by Congress, without notice, is unlawful and harms our most vulnerable and underserved communities.'
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HHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The slash in funding was the latest wave of cuts to be overseen by new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The department said the funds were largely used for COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and other responses to the pandemic in announcing the termination of the grants last week.
'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, ' the department said at the time.
The funding included money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for pandemic preparedness, overdose prevention and community health programs, and from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for addiction treatment and suicide prevention.
'By eliminating billions in critical funding for essential public health initiatives, the administration is effectively telling the American people to fend for themselves, ' Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement.
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