Dive Brief:
- Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. sued the HHS on Tuesday to block more than $11 billion in cuts to public health grants that were allotted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In the lawsuit, plaintiffs argued the money is used for urgent public health needs including tracking infectious diseases, providing mental health and substance abuse services and preparing for future pandemics.
- The cuts come as infectious diseases like measles and bird flu are on the rise, according to a statement from Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. The plaintiffs warn funding cuts could hinder states’ ability to respond appropriately to rising threats posed by the diseases and others.
Dive Insight:
The lawsuit — filed by attorneys general and governors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and D.C. — argue the cuts to funding are illegal.
The plaintiffs say the government did not provide a “rational basis” for eliminating the funds and argued Congress did not limit the funds to the duration of the COVID pandemic when approving them.
The funding cuts threaten both jobs across the states and the viability of critical health initiatives, according to the lawsuit.
Rhode Island, for example, stands to lose more than $31 million from the cuts, according to Neronha. If the funds are not restored, the state said it may have to disband childhood vaccination programs.
“This massive and egregiously irresponsible cut of public health funding should put everyone on high alert to the depths this Administration is willing to go,” Neronha said in a statement accompanying the filing.
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called the cuts unlawful and dangerous in a statement Tuesday.
“That money supports rural hospitals, healthcare workers, emergency services, and public health programs that protect seniors and families across North Carolina,” Jackson said, noting the cuts could cost his state approximately $230 million. “There are legal ways to improve how tax dollars are used, but this wasn’t one of them. Immediately halting critical health care programs across the state without legal authority isn’t just wrong — it puts lives at risk.”
HHS declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
Nationwide, HHS is undergoing a massive reorganization to cut costs.The department is expected to cut staff by approximately 10,000 through layoffs, which began this week, in addition to 10,000 staff that were offered voluntary buyouts or dismissed.
