Latest news with #AmericanFederation
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Trump administration blocked from cutting local health funding for four municipalities
A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states. It's the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding for several states. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, and three cities: Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. The decision means the federal government must reinstate funding to the four municipalities until the case is fully litigated. Their lawsuit, filed in late April, alleged $11 billion in cuts to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs had already been approved by Congress and are being unconstitutionally withheld. They also argued that the administration's actions violate Department of Health and Human Services regulations. The cities and counties argued the cuts were 'a massive blow to U.S. public health at a time where state and local public health departments need to address burgeoning infectious diseases and chronic illnesses, like the measles, bird flu, and mpox.' The cuts would lead to thousands of state and local public health employees being fired, the lawsuit argued. The local governments, alongside the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, wanted the court to reinstate the grants nationwide. But Cooper said in his preliminary injunction that the funds can only be blocked to the four municipalities and in a May 21 hearing expressed skepticism about whether it could apply more widely. The funding in question was granted during the COVID-19 pandemic but aimed at building up public health infrastructure overall, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement in April. The four local governments were owed about $32.7 million in future grant payments, Cooper's opinion notes. The federal government's lawyers said the grants were legally cut because, "Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out.' They used the same argument in the case brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia over the HHS funding clawback. Menefee said the cuts defunded programs in Harris County for wastewater disease surveillance, community health workers and clinics and call centers that helped people get vaccinated. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the cuts forced the city to fire 11 of its 22 infectious disease staffers. Nashville used some of its grant money to support programs, including a 'strike team' that after the pandemic addressed gaps in health services that kept kids from being able to enroll in school, according to the lawsuit. Kansas City used one of its grants to build out capabilities to test locally for COVID-19, influenza and measles rather than waiting for results from the county lab. The suit details that after four years of work to certify facilities and train staff, the city 'was at the final step" of buying lab equipment when the grant was canceled. Representatives for HHS, the CDC, the cities and Harris County did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Trump administration blocked from cutting local health funding for four municipalities
A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states. It's the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding for several states. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, and three cities: Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri. The decision means the federal government must reinstate funding to the four municipalities until the case is fully litigated. Their lawsuit, filed in late April, alleged $11 billion in cuts to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs had already been approved by Congress and are being unconstitutionally withheld. They also argued that the administration's actions violate Department of Health and Human Services regulations. The cities and counties argued the cuts were 'a massive blow to U.S. public health at a time where state and local public health departments need to address burgeoning infectious diseases and chronic illnesses, like the measles, bird flu, and mpox.' The cuts would lead to thousands of state and local public health employees being fired, the lawsuit argued. The local governments, alongside the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, wanted the court to reinstate the grants nationwide. But Cooper said in his preliminary injunction that the funds can only be blocked to the four municipalities and in a May 21 hearing expressed skepticism about whether it could apply more widely. The funding in question was granted during the COVID-19 pandemic but aimed at building up public health infrastructure overall, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement in April. The four local governments were owed about $32.7 million in future grant payments, Cooper's opinion notes. The federal government's lawyers said the grants were legally cut because, 'Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out.' They used the same argument in the case brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia over the HHS funding clawback. Menefee said the cuts defunded programs in Harris County for wastewater disease surveillance, community health workers and clinics and call centers that helped people get vaccinated. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the cuts forced the city to fire 11 of its 22 infectious disease staffers. Nashville used some of its grant money to support programs, including a 'strike team' that after the pandemic addressed gaps in health services that kept kids from being able to enroll in school, according to the lawsuit. Kansas City used one of its grants to build out capabilities to test locally for COVID-19, influenza and measles rather than waiting for results from the county lab. The suit details that after four years of work to certify facilities and train staff, the city 'was at the final step' of buying lab equipment when the grant was canceled. Representatives for HHS, the CDC, the cities and Harris County did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Critics slam Randi Weingarten's bizarre No Kings ‘meltdown,' activism in wake of abrupt DNC departure
Conservatives and critics on social media slammed American Federation of Teachers (AFT) chief Randi Weingarten for her animated "No Kings Day" speech targeting President Donald Trump in the wake of her abrupt departure from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). "Randi Weingarten is once again on stage bouncing around, flailing her arms, and screeching like a lunatic. Another ad for homeschooling!" popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted Sunday, accompanied by footage of Weingarten at a "No Kings Day" protest in Philadelphia on Saturday. Footage of Weingarten's speech has since spread across social media as reports circulated Sunday evening into Monday morning that the teachers union chief declined the DNC's offer for her to stay on as an at-large member. Fellow union official Lee Saunders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees also denied the DNC's offer to stay on, Fox News Digital reported Monday. The pair's exit follows former Vice Chair David Hogg's exit from the DNC earlier in June after choosing not to run for re-election. "I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities," Weingarten wrote in a letter dated June 5 to DNC Chair Ken Martin explaining her departure. Conservatives and other critics slammed Weingarten and her leadership over AFT, while also resurrecting footage from Saturday of Weingarten's speech slamming Trump while jumping up and down in an animated manner. "You are the community to this president's chaos, and together we build a future of opportunity and justice for all," Weingarten said during her "No Kings" remarks in Philadelphia. "Hope over fear, aspiration over anger. The promise of America for each and every American, that is what we are fighting for today." Some on social media called footage of her Saturday speech a "meltdown," while others rehashed how Weingarten pushed to shutter schools during the pandemic. "DEMOCRATS: The Democrat Party just lost the support of the nation's second largest Teachers Union led by Randi Weingarten. The DNC board member and superdelegate resigned from the party the day after she led the nationwide 'No King's protest. The Democrats are in complete disarray as they can't decide who to support much less what they stand for..." X account Amuse posted, accompanied by a clip of Weingarten's speech. "Randi Weingarten has RESIGNED from the DNC after 23 years of wrecking American education. This is the same woman who kept your kids masked, locked classrooms, and turned schools into activist training camps. The damage she caused won't be forgotten but her exit is the first sign the rot is being scraped out. One radical down... a whole party to go," another conservative X account posted. "JUST IN: Randi Weingarten steps down from the DNC. This comes after her massive meltdown at the 'No Kings' protest," one critic posted to X, accompanied by the footage. "Randi Weingarten's resignation from the DNC post- 'No Kings' protest meltdown reflects deepening divisions within the Democratic Party," another conservative X account posted. "This was Randi Weingarten yesterday at the 'No Kings' protest. She just retired. The trash is taking itself out," another conservative commentator said in reaction to the video. Weingarten was among vocal Democrats pushing for Trump critics to take to the streets on Saturday as part of the national "No Kings Day" protests, including sharing a link on X to the AFT's website promoting the protests. "On June 14, we're coming together, peacefully and powerfully, to stand up against Presidents being Kings. It's about strong public schools, supporting working families, and our fundamental freedoms . This day of action is about making our democracy work for all. It's about we the people not just about responding to what's wrong—it's about building something better," she posted to X June 10. The "No Kings Day" protests were held on the same day as Trump's military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which also fell on the president's birthday and Flag Day. An estimated 1,500 "No Kings Day" protests unfolded across the nation, including in Los Angeles, which has been rocked by violent anti-Trump and anti-ICE riots since June 6, when federal law enforcement officials converged on the city to conduct immigration raids. Protests in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, spiraled into violence Saturday. Four law enforcement officers were injured during a riot in Portland, while law enforcement in Los Angeles were forced to deploy tear gas, flash-bangs and a dispersal order, with the LAPD citing "people in the crowd (were) throwing rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects" at officers. Fox News Digital reached out to the AFT for additional comment from the union and Weingarten regarding the DNC departure and negative conservative reactions but did not immediately receive a reply.
