MA AG Sues RFK Jr., Feds Over $11 Billion In Healthcare Grant Cuts

MASSACHUSETTS — State Attorney General Andrea Campbell said Massachusetts is joining 22 other states and the District of Columbia in suing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over the $11 billion in healthcare grant cuts announced last week.

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Campbell said the state is suing to recoup $118 million in already-awarded funds she said that, if not restored, would hinder or eliminate programs to provide immunizations and vaccines for children, mental health services to adults and kids, in-home services for young adults, and trauma-informed care and services.

Campbell's office said the terminations, which came without warning, have "quickly caused chaos for state health agencies that continue to rely on these critical funds for a wide range of urgent public needs." She said those include addressing infectious disease, fortifying emergency preparedness, providing mental health and substance abuse services, and modernizing public health infrastructure.

"In a time when emerging public health threats like measles and bird flu are on the rise, the Trump Administration has unlawfully cut funding meant to address these issues, showing us once again that they do not care about the health and safety of our residents or country," AG Campbell said in a statement released on Tuesday morning. "When this Administration takes illegal action that puts Massachusetts residents at risk, my office and I will continue showing up in court to protect them."

Campbell said that RFK Jr's cuts came with "no legal authority or explanation" and defied Congressional approval of the new and increased funding as part of COVID-19-related legislation "to support critical health needs."

The cuts to states were a prelude to sweeping changes to the Department of Human Services. Last week, the Trump administration said about 10,000 HHS employees would be laid off under Kennedy Jr.’s planned agency reorganization, a move which the administration said will save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year.

HHS oversees 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug and Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island on Tuesday.

AG Campbell and the coalition are seeking a temporary restraining order to invalidate Secretary Kennedy's and HHS's mass grant terminations in the suing states, arguing that the actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The states are also asking the court to prevent HHS from maintaining or reinstating the terminations and any agency actions implementing them.

Massachusetts joins attorneys general in Colorado, California, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Washington, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin, as well as the Governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the lawsuit.

See Also:

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