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New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday that she is spearheading a coalition of 20 states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration. This legal action focuses on the administration’s cuts to public health funding and the Department of Health and Human Services. In a press conference, James described these efforts as the most significant and unlawful assault on public health in U.S. history.
The lawsuit, co-filed by James and other state attorneys general, alleges that the Trump administration has violated numerous laws and regulations in attempts to dismantle the Department of Health and Human Services. This includes the dismissal of thousands of HHS employees, with plans to reduce its workforce by 20,000 and shut down essential health programs across the nation.
James emphasized that this administration is not merely streamlining the federal government but is actively sabotaging it. During her press conference, she highlighted the severe risks these cuts pose for Americans, both in New York and nationwide.
“When you fire the scientists who research infectious diseases and silence the doctors responsible for maternal care, or when you close programs that assist firefighters and miners in breathing or helping children thrive, you are not improving American health; you are jeopardizing countless lives,” she asserted.
According to James, the current actions of the Trump administration are not only dangerous but also illegal. Her lawsuit aims to halt what she describes as an unlawful dismantling of the HHS, provide a stop to mass firings, and restore essential programs that are vital to millions of Americans.
The coalition, comprised of attorneys general from 20 states including Arizona, California, and Michigan, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island. They contend that the administration has erased decades of public health progress, leaving the HHS unable to fulfill its critical functions.
The plaintiffs are calling into question actions taken by the Trump administration, which they argue violate Congress’s directives, the U.S. Constitution, and numerous statutes governing the Department’s programs and funding.
Central to their concerns are the termination of 10,000 full-time employees, the consolidation of 28 agencies into 15, and the closure of half of the 10 regional offices within HHS. James directly addressed these issues during her press conference, criticizing the administration for depriving HHS of necessary resources.
One specific example she provided was the government’s cessation of measles testing amidst an unprecedented outbreak. She pointed out that New York’s Wadsworth Center remains one of the few laboratories in the nation capable of detecting rare infectious diseases and is currently scrambling to fill the void left by a weakened CDC.
James’s statements come in the wake of HHS announcing significant layoffs earlier this year, which included staff cuts at the FDA, CDC, and NIH. These reductions align with a push from the Department of Government Efficiency aimed at slashing the federal workforce and government spending, a move that has drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.
The layoffs also impacted staff responsible for determining SNAP and Medicaid eligibility for vulnerable Americans, alongside the entire maternal health team at CDC and cuts to mental health and substance abuse services.
According to the plaintiffs, none of these layoffs were necessary to address funding shortfalls, as appropriations from Congress have either remained stable or grown in recent years. They assert that the planned termination of 20,000 HHS employees represents approximately 25 percent of the agency’s total workforce, aiming to achieve an estimated savings of less than one percent of HHS’s expenditures.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking to halt HHS’s efforts to dismantle agencies and programs adversely affected by these cuts. They also request declaratory and injunctive relief to thwart what they label as the unconstitutional and illegal dismantling of the department.
This lawsuit is merely the latest in a series of legal challenges by James, a noted opponent of President Trump, since he began his second term. She has previously joined her fellow Democratic attorneys general in more than a dozen lawsuits contesting various actions by the administration.
As this legal battle unfolds, the implications of the lawsuit on public health and welfare could be significant, raising critical questions about the balance of power between state and federal regulations, especially regarding health services.
Moving forward, the actions of both James and the attorneys general from the states involved will undoubtedly be closely scrutinized. As the case proceeds through the courts, it may serve as a pivotal moment in the ongoing discourse surrounding public health funding and governance in America.
By championing this multistate lawsuit, Letitia James not only seeks to protect public health but also sends a strong message about the importance of safeguarding essential services that Americans rely on every day. Her leadership in this coalition illustrates a united front among state leaders determined to uphold the integrity of public health systems across the nation.
