CT AG, 23 States Sue HHS Over $11B Public Health Grant Terminations

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 23 states and the District of Columbia in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., over the abrupt termination of $11 billion in public health grants.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, contends that HHS ended the grants without legal authority or proper notice. The cuts have disrupted funding for programs related to infectious disease control, emergency preparedness, mental health and addiction treatment, and public health infrastructure.

Connecticut stands to lose an estimated $175 million, which supports efforts such as newborn screenings, immunizations, and virus testing. Tong warned that the cuts threaten public safety at a time when diseases like measles and bird flu are on the rise.

The coalition argues the grant terminations violate federal law, particularly the Administrative Procedure Act. They seek a temporary restraining order to halt the cancellations and prevent further implementation. The lawsuit is co-led by attorneys general from Colorado, California, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Washington, along with support from governors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora on Tuesday released the following statement in response to a news conference from Attorney General Tong and General Assembly Democrats on federal fiscal accountability measures:

"Nothing frustrates Democrats in this building more than the thought of fiscal responsibility," said House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora in a statement released Tuesday. "Their exaggerated doomsday predictions over the federal government reclaiming COVID legacy grants prove it. Worse, they obsess over President Trump to distract from the real crisis—chaos in Connecticut’s budget right now. These immediate problems stem not from Washington but from Connecticut Democrats’ own policies and their failure to adjust the state budget last spring."